


Harmony in Death

by AJRyan6of7



Category: In Death - J. D. Robb, Nora Roberts
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:41:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 25,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27363667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJRyan6of7/pseuds/AJRyan6of7
Summary: Musicians from the early 2000's are being murdered and Eve soon realizes that the murders are tied to Roarke's newest entertainment venue, ClubY2K, and it's headliner, Jessica Reed, a pop star from the early 2000's who's come out of retirement to play a series of concerts at Roarke's new club.
Relationships: Eve Dallas/Roarke
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Back in the year 2002, I started up a little website I called "InDeath.net." My hope was for my website to become a small community of fans of the "In Death" series of books. One thing that I knew back then was that one of the keys to a successful fandom website was the inclusion of Fan Fiction. But we had just launched, and only had a few members at that time, and I knew that in order to get the whole thing started, someone had to be brave enough to go first. So, in September of 2002, I sat down and wrote the site's very first fan fiction story.
> 
> After I had posted my story, that encouraged others to post theirs, until, 15 years later, when we finally shut the site down, we had an archive of a few hundred "In Death" fan fiction stories. Some of our authors wrote several stories, and some even went on to write books professionally. But, for me, this one story of mine, "Harmony in Death" was the only "In Death" fan fiction story I ever wrote. 
> 
> Recently, I along with a couple of my moderators from "InDeath.net," Jen and Tara, decided to start up a podcast we call "Podcast in Death." On Episode 21, we decided to tackle the subject of "In Death" fan fiction, and that prompted me to dig out my old story from 2002 and post it here. Since this story was written in September of 2002, it probably takes place right after "Reunion in Death" or thereabouts. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> AJ
> 
> P.S.: Shortly after shutting InDeath.net down, I contacted Ao3 and asked if they would take the large archive of "In Death" fan fiction and upload it here. This is a very long and ongoing process, but I have been assured recently that the conversion of our archive to Ao3 is still in the works and will hopefully be completed soon. So, Stay Tuned!

* * *

Death is an everyday occurance, striking down anything in its path. It gives no preferential treatment and has no prejudices. Death eventually catches up to everyone and everything. On a chilly morning in New York in the year 2059, it had caught up to Roland Styles.

Lieutennant Eve Dallas couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man. Buying it out on the street infront of God and everyone else wasn’t her idea of how life should end. On the other hand, she’d seen enough of death to know that buying it in the comfort of your own home wasn’t always the way to go either. Death, in a word, sucked.

She made a cursory check of the scene to make sure it was properly contained, then guestured to the officer on duty, noting the name on his badge as he stepped up.

“What have we got, Officer Ryan?”

“Roland Styles. African American Male, 86 years old.” He said as he looked through his notes. “ME is with him now.”

She nodded. “Anyone see anything?”

“We made a sweep of the area, questioned a few people. Styles is a regular on the streets here, playing his sax for cash. Folks thought it was odd that he was just lying here, but since he’s also got a habit of drinking too much, nobody thought anything was out of the ordinary.”

Looking around she noticed several hundred people staring with interest. “They sure think something’s out of the ordinary now.” She threw a glance to the spit and polish that was her aide. “Come on Peabody, let’s see what we’ve got.”

They stepped up to the scene and were immediately stopped by the top medical examiner, dressed more like he was going to disarm a nuclear bomb. 

“Hey, Dallas.” He said, lifting up his face mask.

“Hey, Morris. A bit early for Halloween, isn’t it?”

He smiled, but barely. “I think maybe you’d better be a little bit better protected before you step up there. Better to be safe than sorry.”

Puzzled, she took the mask he held out. “I hate wearing these damn things. What have we got anyway?”

He picked up another mask and held it out to Peabody, and then put his own mask back in place. “Roland Styles. Do you know him?”

Eve was busy putting on a pair of protective gloves. “Can’t say as I do. Peabody?”

“He was a jazz musician, sir. One of the greats.” Peabody pulled on her own gloves, and followed Eve to the body. Even through the mask she could smell death, but this one came with another underlying odor. Something vaguely chemical.

“Well Morris, since it seems unlikely they’d call the best of the best out here because some geriatric jazz player died of old age, maybe you better start filling me in.”

Morris knelt down beside the body. “It’s nasty, I have to say. I’ve personally never seen it in all the years I’ve been working, though I’m sure those before me have seen it plenty. Notice the blood. It’s coming from all orifices…eyes, nose, mouth, ears. I’m willing to bet by this time his insides are nothing but jelly.”

“Which would account for the lovely aroma.” Eve said sarcastically.

“Exactly. But it’s the mouth I’m most concerned with. See the wound on his lower lip? That’s a chemical burn. The tongue is just as nasty and swollen.”

Eve noted it. “So what happened to him?”

“Triphideride. My guess is we’ll find it on the sax some where, and seeing as how it’s only the lower lip and tongue that’s been burned, I’m putting my money on the reed.”

“The reed?”

“That’s the little piece of wood that helps the sax make the sound.” Peabody volunteered.

“Thanks.” Eve said, then turned to Morris again. “How could it be Triphideride? Wasn’t that banned after the Urban Wars?”

“Yep. Probably why they called me out here. No-one else knew what the hell it was. It was created to kill, but did it’s job a bit too well. Just a drop of the stuff is enough to drop an Arena Ball Player. This poor guy didn’t have a chance. The government thought to keep it for their own use, but once the formula got out, people were dropping like flies. It kills too quickly for any kind of anecdote to be effective. So, they banned the stuff. Like I said, I’ve never seen it myself, but I’ve seen photos of it and studied it in school, and this has all the earmarks of Triphideride poisoning, which is why we’re dressed this way. I’m not sure how well it can be contained after it’s entered the body, so I’m being extra cautious.”

Eve stood and looked around. She noticed a black case crushed red velvet lining and figured it to be the case for the sax. She walked over and knelt down again. No money in it which meant that either he had just started and hadn’t received tips yet, or someone stole the money while he lay dying. Nice. There a small folded sheet of paper in the case that she picked up with gloved hands and opened, reading the one line that was written there.

“Those who poison the mind will themselves be poisoned.”

She examined the paper more fully, then handed it over to Peabody. “What do you make of this?”

“Looks like someone didn’t like his music.”

“Those that poison the mind.” Eve said again to herself. “I wonder who’s mind got poisoned, and what Styles had to do with it?”

“I don’t know. Personally, I love his stuff. It’s very sexy and soothing. I can’t imagine it poisoning anyone’s mind.”

“Well someone certainly thinks it does.” She turned to the body again. “Let me know what you find out officially, Morris.”

“Will do, Dallas.”

As they walked away, Eve pulled off her mask and breathed in deep, then ran a hand through her hair. “Peabody, when we get back to headquarters, I want you to find out everything there is to know about Roland Styles.”

“Yes Sir.”

“And Peabody?”

“Yes Sir?”

“You can take off the mask now.”


	2. Chapter 2

Eve stepped out of the shower somewhat more relaxed, but with the murder of Roland Styles still on her mind. Peabody had dug up as much information as she could, but it was precious little. From his file, he seemed to be not much more than a model citizen with a bit of a drinking problem. Nothing in his past seemed to be enough to warrant a murder.

“Well, I see you’ve started without me.”

She looked up and found herself staring into the face of her own personal fallen angel. Or at least that’s always how Roarke had seemed to her. Sleekly elegant, he wore power like an old pair of jeans. He looked at her with eyes impossibly blue and smiled with a mouth made for sex. She was a bit sorry she hadn’t taken longer in the shower, but lingered long enough for him to join her there.

“Sorry you couldn’t have made it here a bit faster?”

He walked toward her, and pulled her against him. “I am, yes. Care to join me so we can start again?”

Laughing, she pushed against his chest. “I would, but I don’t think we’ve got time for your water games.” She kissed him quickly. “Now let me go. You’re getting all wet.”

He did reluctantly, and then as she slipped into the drying tube, he stripped and stepped into the shower.

She hated bringing him into a case. She had been arguing with herself all day over it. But there were some questions only he knew the answers for. And if he didn’t know the answer, he could find it.

“What do you know about Triphideride?” She asked, stepping out of the drying tube.

“Triphideride? I know it’s a fairly nasty way to die. Why?”

“We got a homicide today, some old musician was poisoned with Triphideride.”

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. “I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve seen one Triphideride poisoning myself. Enough to know that I wouldn’t want to die that way, nor make anyone else suffer through it.”

“Where do you suppose one would find Triphideride?”

He looked at her and smiled grimly. “For once, I don’t know.”

“None of your many companies…?”

“No.” He said, “As I told you, I believe it’s a very nasty way to die. I wouldn’t allow any of my companies manufacture it. Although I have been asked.”

Her ears perked up. “By who?”

“Let’s just say certain government entities would like to get their hands on it again, despite the ban.” Smiling, he tipped her chin up with his hand. “Would you like me to look into it?”

“No.” She said quickly. “No. I’ll get McNab on it or something. I don’t want you involved any further.”

He kissed her slowly and made her stomach flutter. “Suit yourself.”

“You know,” She said, pulling him closer. “We could just blow this thing tonight off.”

He laughed loudly at that. “Darling Eve, I would if I wasn’t convinced you’d use our absence tonight as an excuse to work.”

Scowling, she let him go. “I could get a lot done tonight. There’s tons of legwork and research still.”

“I’m sure there is, but not tonight.” Roarke told her as he dried himself off with a towel. “I want you with me.”

“How many clubs to you own, anyway?”

“Several.” He said simply, a hint of a smile forming.

“Are we going to be expected to attend the opening of every damn one you buy?”

“Yes, Darling Eve,” He told her, bringing his hand to her face and running his thumb over the dent in her chin. “If only to give me a reason to show off my lovely wife.”

“Right.” She snorted but kissed him anyway. “How am I required to dress for this little wing-ding?”

“Casual Elegant.” He answered smiling.

She rolled her eyes. “What the hell is ‘Casual Elegant’?!”

“What I have ready for you on the bed should do.”

She crossed over to the bed and was relieved to find that casual elegant meant she could wear slacks, though they were the fanciest pair of slacks she’d ever seen. At least she would be comfortable. A shirt made of very thin shimmery gauze completed the outfit. She dressed and regarded herself in the mirror.

“You look beautiful.” He told her as he slipped his arms around her and pulled her to him. He wore simple black and white, and she noted as she looked at them both in the mirror that they matched quite well. Only Roarke could take something that sounded as stupid as “casual elegant” and pull it off without a hitch.

She leaned into him. “We make a pretty nice-looking couple.”

“We do, yes.” He said as he allowed himself the pleasure of sampling the freshly washed skin of her neck.

Her knees nearly buckled. “Did you remember the tickets for Mavis and Leonardo? And Peabody and…” She still couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“McNab? Yes, they’ve all been taken care of.”

“Good. Mavis went nuts when she heard who you’ve got performing tonight. Apparently, this is one of her childhood idols.”

“For good reason.” He said, letting her go. “Jessica Reed was one of the biggest celebrities of the late twentieth. She was a singer, dancer, musician and actress. Many young women wanted to be her, and still do.”

“She’s got to be close to, what, eighty now? You sure it’s a good idea to have her as your headliner?”

He laughed. “Yes, and fitting, as the club is based on a late twentieth retro theme. I would hold your judgment though, until you meet her. She’s the youngest senior citizen you’ll ever meet. A fascinating woman.”

She shot him a sly glance. “You had a thing for her, didn’t you?”

“Of course.” He grinned. “Every girl wanted to be her, every boy wanted to be with her. I was no exception.” Taking her face in his hands he kissed her hard. “And as we know, I have excellent taste.”

\---------------------------------------------

Club Y2K was slick, she wouldn’t have expected anything less from Roarke. Though the middle of the club where the dancefloor and stage sat was dark, the outer perimiter of the club was well lit with large over-stuffed pieces of furniture in primary colors arranged, Roarke assured her, employing the Feng Shui method as was popular at the time. There were posters on the walls advertising movies that were hits at the turn of the century: “Lord of the Rings,” “Harry Potter,” “Titanic,” “Castaway,” and others. Vid screens throughout the club played scenes from those same movies as well as TV shows of the time including “Friends,” “The Sopranos,” and “ER.” There was a bar advertising Smirnoff Ice, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, MGD and Guinness. On the other side of the club, for those who weren’t drinking the hard stuff, was a coffee bar selling genuine “Starbucks” coffee.

No Doubt encouraged the patrons of the club to keep on dancing as Eve and Roarke were escorted to a table up by the stage. Roarke requested a round of drinks for the table before they sat.

After they sat, Eve leaned over toward Roarke and yelled into his ear “It’s great!”

“Thank you, I’m glad you like it.” He said, looking around. “I see our guests are already here and enjoying themselves.”

She looked over and wondered how she could have missed Mavis’ bright yellow hair when they first walked in. Her dress was fire engine red, and came to just above the knee. She was wearing long red gloves to match and was dancing on impossibly high red spiked heals. Despite them, Leonardo still towered over her looking like some kind of silver cowboy. His jeans and boots were silver, as was his hat. The long duster he wore couldn’t decide what color it wanted to be, changing colors everytime he moved. Underneath the duster he wore a tank made of chain mail. In his ear hung a small silver dreamcatcher.

Dancing next to them Peabody and McNab. Dressed in a lime green suit with a bright orange shirt, McNab was dancing wildly, his long blonde ponytail swinging behind him. Peabody was slightly more conservatively dressed in what had to be one of Leonardo’s creations. The dress was a deep green silk that hinted of the Orient.

Once the song ended, the four of them joined Eve and Roarke at the table.

“Roarke, this place is just mag!” Mavis squeeled as she collapsed in her chair. “You’re a genius!”

“I agree.” McNab said, toasting Roarke with his drink.

“McNab and I just spent a little time earlier in the ‘Sex and the City’ room.” Peabody told them. “It was totally iced.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” Roarke said with a grin.

“ ‘Sex and the City’?” Eve said to him cocking a brow.

He winked at her. “We’ll go investigate later.”

Just then the house lights went down, and the stage lights went up. A man stepped up on stage who was as large as an arena ball tackle with short auburn hair and a wicked grin. “How you all doing tonight!?” He said into the microphone and got a loud response from the audience.

“Great! My name is John Galway, I’m the manager here, and I want to welcome you all to Club Y2K!” Another loud cheer went up. “Ok, ok. Now I know why most of you are here. You came here to witness the return to the stage of a living legend. So, I’m not going to stand here and make you look at my ugly face any longer. Ladies and Gentleman, the woman you’ve all come to see. Jessica Reed!”

As the audience exploded in cheers again, Mavis gripped Leonardo’s arm tight. “Oh God! There she is!”

The stage had darkened except for one spot that was focused on a old style guitar in vivid blue. She started playing softly and singing as the spotlight widened. The song started slowly, then in a second, all the lights were up and the entire band had started playing around her, and she was moving in a way Eve thought was impossible for women in their eighties to move.

She wasn’t dressed fancy as Eve might have expected. Her t-shirt was sleeveless, and where in her younger days, it may have been cut off just above her navel, was now tucked neatly into jeans that were faded and tearing, Her scarred boots in the same vivid blue as her guitar and her white hair was braided into a ponytail down her back. After the first couple of songs were over, she was sweating and out of breath, but didn’t seem to be slowing down any.

“How y’all doin’!?” She said into the microphone and earned a collective scream from the audience, including Mavis. “That’s great. It’s great to be back, and what a way to come back, huh?” More cheering. “I want to thank my new boss, Roarke, for opening up such a killer club, and bringing back a lot of memories.”

With that she turned and counted down the next song. Many of the people around them got up to dance, and Roarke leaned over and said “Shall we?” Eve was just about to take him up on it when there was a poping sound, and a flash of blue light followed by screaming.


	3. Chapter 3

“Shit!” Eve exclaimed, jumping out of her seat and heading toward the right side of the stage where smoke was curling up above the sea of heads. Roarke was right behind her as was Peabody. Hopping up on the stage, Eve saw Jessica Reed’s guitar player on the floor and still twitching from the electrical shock that had gone through him.

“Dammit! Peabody! Get some MT’s here, NOW!”

“Yes, Sir!” Peabody answered and pushed her way back through the crowd.

John Galway, the manager that had introduced the band minutes before, appeared in a rage. “What the hell happened?”

“You.” Eve said pointing a finger at his massive chest. “Clear this club out.”

He stood immobile. “I want to know what the fuck happened first!”

“When I find out, believe me, I’ll let you know. Right now, I need this club cleared of people, unless you want to be slapped with obstructing justice.” Galway scowled and turned on his heel, walking to the crowd and urging them to leave.

“I’ll help.” Roarke said in her ear, then walked over and grabbed a microphone. “Ladies and gentleman, there’s been a little accident. If you could all please leave the club in an orderly fashion, I’ll see that your cover charges are re-imbursed. Drinks will be free on your next visit to Club Y2K.”

As people filed out, Jessica Reed pushed her way past Eve. “Oh God, Ken! What happened to him?!”

Eve grabbed the woman by the shoulders. “Don’t touch him, he might still be hot.”

“But someone’s got to help him!”

“Ms. Reed.” Roarke said to her in his voice that hinted of Ireland. “Why don’t you come with me back to the green room? We’ll get you something to drink and you can relax a bit until this mess has been cleared up.” He lead Jessica off stage, meeting Eve’s grateful look with a smile.

Eve gestured to McNab. “Take a look at his equipment. I need to know what caused him to fry.”

“The MT’s are on their way.” Peabody said as she stepped up beside Eve, then grimaced. “He’s not going to need them, is he?”

Eve crouched and felt for a pulse. “No. Better get the ME here. And get my bag, will you? I think I’ve got some seal-it in there.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Dallas?” McNab called to her. “You might want to come look at this.”

Stepping gingerly around the body, Eve crouched now next to McNab and looked to where he was pointing. “Ok, what am I looking at?”

“This little baby right here.” He pointed to a small cylindrical object between the amplifier and the guitar plug. “The plug here is supposed to go directly into the amplifier. But there’s this little conduit here in the middle that I’m pretty sure isn’t supposed to be here.”

“Here’s your bag sir.” Peabody said handing the bag to Eve. Eve fished around until she came up with a small can of seal-it. 

“Here.” Eve said handing the can to McNab.

He coated his hands then unplugged the wire leading from the guitar to the amplifier. “Let’s take a look at this baby.” He said, unscrewing the conduit and examining it. “I can’t be exactly sure…I’d need more equipment to examine it. But I’d say this is what caused the problem. See this little wire here? I’m willing to bet this thing was tripped by a remote.”

“We’ll need to know for sure. Bag it.”

Standing up, Eve circled the body, then started looking again at his equipment. On the back of the amplifier that was still spewing smoke, she saw white lettering. She kneeled down to get a better look, and then read out loud.

“Those that condemn the innocent to burn will themselves be burned.”

“That sounds just like the other note.” Peabody said.

“Yep. We’ve got another one.”


	4. Chapter 4

Eve found Jessica Reed pacing the green room with Roarke sitting quietly nearby. When she saw Eve, her eyes widened.

“Ken?”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Reed, there was nothing we could do.”

Jessica’s knees buckled, and Roarke immediately stood to help her to the couch. Putting her face in her hands, Jessica sobbed softly. Eve had always been uncomfortable in these situations, never knowing exactly what to do or what to say. Her eyes darted over to Peabody who was looking sympathetically at Jessica.

“Ms. Reed,” Eve started hesitantly, “I’m going to have to ask you a few questions.”

“Give her a minute.” Roarke said.

“Roarke, I need to..”

“I said give her a minute, dammit!” Grimacing at his own tone, he closed his eyes for a moment as if composing himself, then looked again at Eve. “I’m sorry, it’s just she’s..”

“No, it’s fine.” Jessica said sniffling and brushing tears away, “It’s just…losing someone you’re so close to for years…though, I’m 86 years old, by now you’d think I’d be used to it.”

“I don’t think you ever get used to it.” Roarke told her sympathetically, patting her hand as he did.

“Roarke, I appreciate your help, but I need to question my witness now. So if you’ll excuse us…”

“I’ll stay, if it’s all the same to you.”

“Well it’s not.”

“Still. If Jessica won’t mind, I’d like to stay.” He said, smiling affectionately at Jessica.

Jessica smiled back at him. “That would be fine.”

Grinning now, Roarke walked across the room, and settled himself in a chair.

Eve sent Peabody a warning look after hearing a snicker. “Record on, Peabody.”

Straightening again, Peabody turned on her recorder.

“Dallas, Lieutenant Eve in interview with Reed, Jessica regarding the death of Ken Hash. In attendance are Peabody, Officer Delia and Roarke. How well did you know Ken Hash, Ms. Reed?”

“Ken?” She laughed and kicked her booted feet up on the coffee table. And rubbed her forehead as if a headache was starting to form. “Forever. I’ve worked with him on and off for practically my whole career.”

“So you were close?”

“He was a good friend. Since I lost my husband years ago, my band’s been about the only family I have.”

Eve felt a pang of sympathy for the woman. Up until recently, she herself had no family. She pushed the thought aside. “Did Hash have any enemies?”

Jessica looked at her wearily. At that moment, she looked all of her 86 years and more. Eve found it hard to believe that she was talking to the same woman who she’d seen performing complicated dance steps not more than an hour earlier.

“Ken didn’t have any enemies that I knew of. He wracked up a lot of bills and made enemies of some pretty shady characters years ago because of a nasty drug habit, but he’s cleaned up since then. He doesn’t owe anything anymore as far as I know.”

“Did he know anyone by the name of Roland Styles?”

“Roland? Are you investigating that one, too?”

“You knew him?”

“Yes. Not as well as Ken, but we’d worked together several times.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“A few weeks ago. I know how he’s been in the last few years. Drunk more often than not. I offered to let him come and play this gig with me. I thought maybe it would give him a reason to clean up a little. He said he’d be here for rehearsals, but I never saw him.”

“Do you know of anyone who might not think too much of his music? Someone who, for example, might see it as poison for the mind?”

She smiled. “Have you ever heard him play, Lieutenant? He was a genius on the sax. I knew quite a few people who might say he made them lose control of their libidos, but poisoning of the mind…no.” 

There was a pause for a moment, then Jessica laughed softly. “Poisoning of the mind…almost sounds like the CMM.”

Eve’s eyes narrowed. “The CMM?”

Jessica emptied her bottle of MGD and grinned. “The Coalition for Morality in Music. A group of right-wing wackos that wanted to put us all away in the early teens.” Shaking the bottle, she looked at Peabody. “I know you’re not a waitress, but do you think I can have another one of these?”

With a bright smile, Peabody took the bottle. “I’ll see if I can…”

Irritated, Eve held up a hand. “As you said, Ms. Reed, my aide is not a waitress.”

Without so much as a flinch, Jessica smiled. “You’re right of course. Please forgive me.” She then leaned over and hit a button. “JOHN!”

Galway’s head appeared through the door within a few seconds. “What do you need Jess?”

“Another MGD, hon.” She smiled.

“How about tea?”

“How about another MGD?”

“Tea it is.” His head popped back through the door and Jessica shook hers.

“Kids. Do you two have any?” She asked, gesturing to both Eve and Roarke.

Eve looked over to see Roarke looking amused and her brow furrowed. “No, not yet.” She said. “Now, about this CMM?”

“Ah. Well, I guess it really started in the mid eighties with the Parents Music Resource Center. The PMRC started a campaign then against what they saw as immorality in music that was promoting sexual promiscuity, and violence, etc. They eventually managed to get a warning label policy started so that there were warnings on certain tapes and discs to warn parents that it might contain sexual or violent lyrics and themes.”

“Of which there were plenty, I’m sure.” Roarke said easily, earning him an exasperated look from Eve.

“Oh, I won’t deny that.” Jessica said. “Anyway, the PMRC eventually petered out, then re-appeared later as the CMM. One of the concerns was for subliminal messages in music, which the PMRC had become involved in somewhat, but at the time the PMRC was lobbying, the so-called subliminal messages were just a myth. By the time the CMM entered the picture in the early twenty first, recording companies had actually started selling space on their digital recordings to companies who would put subliminal advertising on them. You know, kids would listen to the new the new Nickleback and also get the new advertisement for Coke or Nike without even realizing it.”

At that time, Galway entered the room again with a steaming cup of tea that he set down on the coffee table in front of Jessica. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this John. Really. I can’t.”

“Ha ha.” He answered then noticing how tired she looked turned to Eve. “Will this take much longer?”

“That’s two.” Eve answered through gritted teeth. “One more and I’m hauling you in for harassing a police officer.” She gestured to the door, which he exited out of cursing. She looked back at Jessica who was frowning at the steaming cup. “Ok, so you were saying?”

Leaving the cup where it was, Jessica settled back into the cushions of the chair. “Well, once the CMM realized that subliminal advertising was actually happening, they lobbied to get it stopped, and won. The government banned subliminal advertising around 2015. But, of course, the group didn’t stop there. They were still convinced that many of us were still using the same methods the corporations were using to basically brainwash kids, blaming certain recordings of the time for everything from causing kids to commit suicide to starting the Urban Wars.”

“Brainwashing?” Eve looked at Roarke, recalling a time not too long ago when they were both in very real danger surrounding exactly that same thing. Uncomfortable with the sudden surge of panic she had when she remembered the incident, Eve shrugged off the feeling and looked again at Jessica. “Where you ever accused of it?”

“Of brainwashing? Oh yeah…plenty. Again, all right-wing wacko’s and religious fanatics. Believe me, Lieutenant, I’m not now nor have I ever been a devil worshipper. I would never purposely push anyone into violence against himself or anyone else.”

“How about Hash or Styles?”

“No, Ken was a studio musician. He played backup for others, therefore didn’t have enough influence for the CMM to really care about. Roland’s disks were all instrumental, and he really didn’t do any vids to go with them, so they never came after him either.”

Eve nodded and gestured to Peabody who switched off her recorder. “That’s enough for right now I think. Do you have a ride home? I’d rather you not be traveling alone at night until we can find out what’s going on here.”

“I’ve got a car waiting for her.” Roarke said, then offered a hand to Jessica. “I’ll just walk you out.”

Jessica smiled and stood, looking at Eve when she did. “You’re a lucky woman, Lieutenant.”

Eve leveled a look at Roarke. “Yeah, he’s a real peach.”

Once they’d left, Eve turned to Peabody. “I want more information on this CMM she was talking about, and more information on Jessica herself. Something’s telling me she’s the key.”

“Roarke seems to really like her. Like he was protecting her or something. It was really sweet.”

“Like I said, he’s a real peach.” Running a hand through her hair, Eve chuckled as she headed for the door. “It was kinda cute, wasn’t it? Well, come on, let’s get out of here so I can go home with my peach of a husband.”


	5. Chapter 5

Much later that evening, Roarke found Eve in her office, staring at the computer monitor. Once he was close enough, he could see the monitor showed a photo of a young Jessica Reed.

“Eve?” She startled when he spoke.

“Jesus..you're like a damn cat skulking around.”

“I was not skulking around. What are you doing?”

“Just...” What was she doing? “I was looking up some info on Jessica Reed. Running some probabilities.”

He eased himself up onto the edge of her desk. “She's not your killer, Eve. If that's where you're looking, you're looking in the wrong direction.”

She leaned back in her chair and considered him for a moment. There was a subtle warning in his voice that didn’t escape her. “No, but I do think she's the key.”

“And you're basing that assumption on what?”

She felt a prickle of irritation starting. “Who's investigation is this? Yours or mine?”

He stood quickly, turning his back to her. “Yours, naturally.”

“Naturally.” She sensed a frustration that was rare for Roarke. For some reason, he’d set himself up as Jessica Reed’s protector, though she didn’t completely understand why. She would have to tread lightly from here on in. “You want to tell me why you're acting this way?”

“I admire her greatly. That shouldn't come as any surprise.”

“No, I guess it doesn't, considering that everyone else seems to feel the same way. The way Mavis and Leonardo were treating her as we were leaving the club tonight, you’d think she was made of glass.”

He smiled, letting most of the tension drain away. It was the last thing either one of them needed right now. “I appreciated them riding home with her.” 

“It was almost more of a favor to Mavis than to Jessica.” Eve smiled thinking about how excited Mavis had been to be able to escort Jessica Reed home.

Laughing softly, he walked around the desk and stood behind her. “Then I’m glad I could do Mavis that favor.” He glanced back to her monitor and brought his hands up to kneed her shoulders. “So what are you looking for?”

Eve rolled her head around on her shoulders. “I’m not sure. Just looking into Jessica’s history. I thought maybe there’d be some information here that I could use, but there’s all kinds of huge gaps here. Why would there be gaps?”

“I investigated her personally before I hired her, darling. If there was anything amiss, I would have found it.”

She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing. “What DID you find?”

“Much the same as you have.”

“Which is very little. Maybe you missed something. Maybe..”

She didn’t get any farther before he reached over and turned of her computer. “That’s enough for now.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She said, slapping his hands away from the controls.

“It’s late.” He told her. “You need rest.”

“That’s not for you to decide, dammit! I’ve had two murders in less than twenty-four hours. This guy’s moving quickly, which means I have very little time to bring him down.”

He grabbed her hand before she could turn the computer back on. “Eve, please. You’ll be no good to anyone if you’re dead on your feet. Tomorrow, your mind will be clearer, and if you’d like, I’ll send you my entire file on Jessica Reed.”

She took a deep breath, huffing it out quickly as she glared at him. 

“Don’t force me to become physical.” He said it as a warning, but there was a teasing light in his eyes. His face split into a wide grin, and He could see the exact moment when she relented. 

“You’ll send me everything you found?”

“Yes” Everything minus a few minor pieces he thought to himself. Some holes were better left unfilled.

“Fine.” She said, letting him grab her hand and lead her to the elevator. “But I want you to know that I’m not always going to be this easy. I’m just too tired to argue anymore.”

“Darling, I never thought of you as easy.” He grabbed on tightly as she curled into him. “You were staring at her photo when I came in.”

Already starting to drift, his voice barely registered. “Hmm?”

“Jessica’s photo. You were staring at it when I came in.”

“Oh.” She said on a yawn. “Something she said tonight got to me I guess.”

“And what was that?”

“She said that when her husband died, her band was about the only family she had. I guess it bothered me a bit. I couldn’t help but think that one day that could be me.”

Something around his heart tightened, and he held her closer as the doors of the elevator opened to the wide expanse of their room. “Darling Eve,” he said, tilting her chin up and kissing her lightly. “That day is a lifetime away.”


	6. Chapter 6

Eve had awakened in a better mood, and as he had promised, the disc containing all the information Roarke had dug up on Jessica Reed was in her hand when she walked into her office. She quickly programmed in some coffee into the AutoChef, then sat at her computer and inserted the disc. She realized quickly that, just as he had said, Roarke didn’t manage to find any more about Reed than she did.

As she scanned the contents, Peabody appeared in her doorway.

“Dallas? I have that information you wanted.”

“Good. Fetch my coffee from the AutoChef and tell me some good news.” 

“I don’t think it will exactly be the good news you’re wanting.” Peabody said, sitting the cup on the desk. “There are approximately a few dozen probable links. They had all three appeared on several albums together along several awards shows, concerts and personal appearances.”

“Damn.” Eve sighed. “We need to narrow that list down.” Taking a sip of coffee, she thought. “Maybe we’ll leave that for now and work the CMM angle. Computer, give me all information re the Coalition for Morality in Music”

Working….The Coalition for Morality in Music was a non-profit orgainization founded in 2010 by Senator Leland Moore of New York and spearheaded by Mrs. Lily Moore. The CMM..

“Ok, stop” Eve leaned back in her chair. No better place to start than the top, she thought. “Where are Senator and Mrs. Moore now?”

Working…Senator Leland Moore is deceased. Mrs. Lily Moore now resides in Addison County, Vermont.

“Good. Get me an address. Saddle up, Peabody, we’re going to pay Mrs. Leland Moore a visit.”

\-------------

Mrs. Leland Moore was quietly elegant, dressed impeccably in a pale blue suit that matched both her eyes and her hair. She showed them into the living room of a tastefully elegant home that smelled of furniture polish and old money. Her age was well above ninety, but Eve could tell that she had made use of all the more popular age defying methods available, and maybe some that weren’t so popular. Despite the white hair, her skin was flawless, and Eve couldn’t detect a hit of feebleness.

“I appreciate you making the time to see us, Mrs. Moore.”

“It’s my pleasure, Lieutenant. Please sit. Would you like some tea?”

“No, thanks.” Eve said sitting on a white sofa and hoping she didn’t leave any marks.

Mrs. Moore turned to Peabody. “Officer?”

“I’d love some, thank you.”

Mrs. Moore poured out the tea. “I have to tell you, Lieutenant, I’m at a loss as to why you’re here.”

“I’m investigating a couple of homicides that have taken place in the last couple of days. Roland Styles and Ken Hash.”

Mrs. Moore looked puzzled as she handed Peabody a steaming cup. “I’m afraid I’m not acquainted with either of them.”

“They were musicians. Rock and jazz mostly.”

“Ah.” Mrs. Moore smiled. “That explains it. Neither were ever my style. I loved the classics. Bach, Mozart, Debussey.”

“Is that why, along with your husband the Senator, you formed The Coalition for Morality in Music?”

Moore looked up sharply then laughed. “Well, I suppose one can never truly escape their past, can they? Yes, that’s one of the reasons I formed it. I was appalled at the state of music at the time. Many parents wondered what was going wrong with their children and didn’t have a clue that the music their children were listening to on a daily basis had become rife with foul lyrics and the videos they were watching bordered on pornography. We sought to educate them.”

“Your literature of the time suggests that you felt music was destroying the youth of America.”

“Yes. And I still do, though I’m no longer active in lobbying against it.”

“Did you feel music was poisoning young minds?” Eve said, recalling the note that was left at the scene of the Styles murder.

Moore drank her tea and considered. “Controlling, more like. Taking their will away. Some of the larger subliminal advertisers were already seeing astronomical increases in sales before we stepped in and stopped it. How easy would it have been for some other faction to step in and start controlling minds this way?” She stopped for a moment to put down her cup and fold her hands on her lap. “Our organization was stopped before it could really determine whether or not any of the larger satanic cults or terrorist organizations had also been involved in subliminal advertising. Had they been, maybe poisoning of the mind would be a good description. So, I suppose if you want to put it that way, yes, I feel that music did have the potential to poison young minds. Why just look at the incident with Jessica Reed.”

Eve saw Peabody become stiff as a board beside her. An almost imperceptible hand guesture from Eve had Peabody relaxing marginally. “Which incident would this be, Mrs. Moore?”

“Why, the incident with poor Reverend Stevens and his family.” She said as if she couldn’t believe there was anyone who didn’t know.

“Refresh my memory.” Eve prompted.

“Well, Reverend Stevens was very active with the CMM. He was one of our biggest supporters. We were lucky to have him lobbying for us. He commanded a large audience, and was very outspoken until the death of his son.” She shook her head then lowered her voice as if the walls had ears. “The poor boy was found in his bedroom. He’d killed himself while listening to one of Jessica Reed’s recordings. Well of course, that’s when we started suspecting that Jessica Reed had been tainting her music with subliminal messages. And then the Reverend’s poor wife committed suicide several months later. I guess she just couldn’t handle the stress of losing a child.”

Eve absorbed the information as the wording of the two notes they had found came back to her. Those that poison the mind and those that condemn the innocent to burn. They had already concluded the notes sounded vaguely religious. A minister bent on revenge sounded more than plausible. “Do you have any idea where this Reverend Stevens is now?”

“Yes. After the death of his wife, I’m afraid he went a little mad. He’s been confined to a mental institution somewhere in upstate New York for the last fourty or so years.”

Eve grit her teeth. The only lead they had and the suspect has been confined to a mental institution since before she was born. Still, it was something. “Do you happen to know which recording it was?”

Moore blanched. “Why, yes, though I hesitate to repeat it.”

Clinging to her patience, Eve said, “It might help the case if I knew the name.”

The woman glanced around apprehensively before leaning in and whispering, “Going Down.” Fidgiting nervously, Moore straightened. “I’m told that’s slang for…well, you probably know what it’s for.”

Eve’s lips quirked. “Yes, Ma’am.”

“And as I recall,” Mrs. Moore went on, “It had a very lewd photo on it’s cover of a man, naked to the waist and licking a woman’s naked torso. I don’t believe I ever listened to it myself, but if that photo is any indication, I’m sure the contents of the disc were just as lewd. But then, you know how performers can be.”

Eve smiled and thought of Mavis. “Yes Ma’am, I think I do. Well that’s about it for now. You’ve been very helpful. Thank you.”

Moore stood and extended her hand. “I’m glad I could help, Lieutenant. If you need anything more, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Once outside, Eve shook her head. “Our only probable suspect, and he’s residing in the loony bin.”

“What now, Sir?” Peabody asked as they climbed into Eve’s vehicle.

“Well, just because he’s in the loony bin, it’s no reason we can’t check him out. Maybe he’s got some family member who’d want to avenge him because he can’t. So, we still run a check on Reverend Stevens. I also want to look into that disc she was talking about. Even if Stevens turns out to be a dead end, something on the disc could still pop.”

Peabody chuckled as they pulled away from the house. “Something you want to share with the rest of the class, Peabody?”

“Just the way she said the name of that disc, ‘Going Down’ in a whisper like that, and looking around like she’d committed a sin just by saying it. ‘you probably know what it’s for’” She said, mimicking Moore and chuckled again. “Made me wonder if the late Senator Moore ever got to find out what that was slang for.”

Eve laughed out loud. “Officer, that’s something I’d rather not speculate on.”


	7. Chapter 7

Eve slammed a file drawer shut in irritation. Goddamn it, whoever it was, they were going to pay. With gleeful thoughts of causing great physical pain to the culprit when he or she was caught, Eve slammed another drawer.

“Lieutennant…” Peabody started into Eve’s office, only to be cut off by a violent string of curses.

“Goddamn son of a bitch is gonna regret he ever set foot in this office. I’ll put him in a cage for this, you just watch.” Eve told Peabody while rooting through another drawer.

“Problem, Sir?”

“Yeah there’s a problem. Someone got to my stash again. Roarke brought me back a whole box of Ghirardelli chocolate from his last trip to San Francisco, and they’re all gone! All of them. Gone. Ghirardelli!!” She slammed another drawer for emphasis, and leveled a look at Peabody. “Have you ever had real Ghirardelli chocolate, Peabody?”

Peabody wisely stifled a grin. “No Sir, can’t say as I have.”

Eve’s eyes narrowed fractionally as she looked at Peabody long enough to make her want to squirm, “Yeah well. Somebody has, and when I find them, I’m going to rip their spleen out through their nose.”

“Ouch.” Peabody said wincing. “I can go get you something out of the machine if you want.”

Eve sat down, defeated. “No. What have you got?”

“The disc. Jessica Reed’s disc that Senator Moore’s wife was talking about. And she’s right, this cover is pretty hot.”

Eve snagged the disc from Peabody and looked at the cover. The man in the photo was naked, tanned and handsome. On his well muscled arm, a tattoo, something vaguely Celtic, formed a ring around his bicep. His tongue looked like it was just about to dip into a woman’s navel.

“When I was at the music store buying it,” Peabody told her, “they were playing one of Mavis’ vids on a huge screen, and I just stood there thinking, I know her. It was so frigid.”

Eve chuckled as she studied the names printed on the back of the disc. “Yeah, it’s something, isn’t it?” Then one name seemed to pop off the disc. “Well would you look here. Seems Roland Styles made a guest appearance on this disc.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. Hash is on there too.”

“Of course she said she’d worked with both of them several times, so it could be nothing. Still, we’ll look and see where all the rest of these people are now.”

“What did you find out from the hospital about Reverend Stevens?” Peabody said as she sat on the edge of Eve’s desk.

“That he’s a pillar of the community even now.” Eve said, putting the disc in her computer. “Well liked by the staff and the other patients. Never has caused a bit of trouble. Computer, search disc and find me bios of all the people involved in this recording.”

_Working…_

“So you think he’s a dead end?” Peabody asked.

“I’m not sure yet. We may come back to him later. Damn, I need some chocolate.”

Peabody’s lips quirked. “It would only take me a minute to go down the hall and get something from the vending machine.”

Eve hissed out a breath. “It’s just not the same.” She said sulkily as the computer completed its task.

_Scan completed._

“Great.” Eve said. “Let’s start with the band. We know Hash is dead, so we’ll cross him off. Computer, what’s in the file for a Chet Watkins?”

_Working…Chet Watkins, Keyboardist. Born 1975 in Irvine, California. Died 2025 in Los Angeles California…_

“Stop.” Eve commanded. She did a quick calculation in her head. “He’d have been 50. What was the cause of death?”

_Working…Cause of death is asphyxiation. Death was ruled a homicide. The case remains unsolved._

“Well isn’t that interesting.” Eve mumbled.

“Do you think it’s a coincidence?” Peabody asked.

“Stranger things have happened.” Eve answered, looking down at the disc. “Computer, give me the information for a Tubby Green.”

_Working…Melvin “Tubby” Green, Drummer. Born 1977 in Fayetteville North Carolina. Died 2031 in Nashville, Tennessee…”_

“Stop.” Eve rubbed her chin as she considered. “What was the cause of death there?”

_Working…Cause of death was assault with a deadly weapon. No suspects were ever charged. Case remains open._

“So her drummer was beaten to death. Ironic, isn’t it, Peabody?”

“I’ll say.”

“Computer, give me the information on a…” Eve scanned the disc cover again. “How about the producer? Dave Gibson.”

Working…David Gibson, Producer. Born 1975 in Lubbock, Texas. Died 2033 in Pukalani, Hawaii… __

__

__

“Stop. And what was the cause of death there?”

_Working…Cause of death was electrocution._

“Accidental?”

_Working…Undetermined._

“Spooky.” Peabody said with a shudder. “It’s like one of those movies or vids that you hear about where people think the movie was cursed because there were all these deaths surrounding it.”

Eve looked amused. “Do you believe in that kind of thing? That something like a vid, or like this disc could be cursed?”

“Stranger things have happened. Maybe that Reverend put a curse on the disc or something.”

“Well, he couldn’t have done much more than that if he’s been locked in a hospital for the last forty or so years. Still, I think he’d be worth talking to, don’t you?”

Peabody smiled. “Yes, sir.”

“Then let’s go pay him a visit.” Eve said, getting up and grabbing her jacket.

“You know sir,” Peabody said as they strode down the corridor “I know of a little candy shop that I’ve heard has a very small exclusive selection of Ghirardelli chocolate. I bet it’s probably on the way.”

Eve laughed. “I knew there was a reason I keep you around.”


	8. Chapter 8

Eve and Peabody followed a nursing droid down the corridor of the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center. The droid was running what Eve assumed was the standard “tour” program that everyone who visits the facility would get. 

“As you can see,” The droid told them, “The St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center has always kept up on all the latest technological advances. Our orderly droids are programmed to be able to handle any situation quickly and efficiently. The housekeeping droids keep the facility spotlessly clean making the stay that much more enjoyable for our Residents.”

Eve looked around. It was tidy, she had to give them that. Though the faint smell of antiseptic and cleaning solution still hung in the air. They could clean the place until it sparkled she thought, but it would still be a damned hospital. She shrugged off a slight feeling of panic and let the droid continue its speech.

“All residential programs offer a comprehensive range of services including individual and group counseling, diagnostic evaluation, psychological testing, crisis intervention, psychopharmacology, medical evaluation, vocational assessment, education, socialization, task and skill training, physical therapy, structured learning therapy, occupational therapy, and recreational therapy. In addition, weight rooms, a recipient resource center, a snack bar, and community programs are available.”

The droid stopped at an office door and knocked before entering. “Dr. Barnes, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and Officer Delia Peabody to see you.”

The doctor rose and held out his hand. “Lieutenant Dallas. Officer Peabody. Please sit. Would you like anything? Coffee? Soda?”

“No thank you.” Eve told him. “We’d rather just get down to business.”

He smiled. “Well then. Thank you, AS123,” he said to the droid, “That will be all.” The droid exited quietly as the doctor sat behind his desk. “Lieutenant, we just spoke on the phone just this afternoon. I take it you have more questions about Reverend Stevens?”

“A few, yes.” Eve told him. “How long did you say he had been in this facility?”

“Oh, he’s been here in our Bridgeview program long before I came here, and that was a good twenty years or so. I’m not sure of specific dates off the top of my head.”

“Has he ever exhibited any violent tendencies? Threatened anyone?”

“Not as long as I have been here.” The doctor answered, leaning back in his chair. “He’s been an exemplary patient. One any doctor would be proud of. He’s extremely helpful to both the staff and the other residents. We even allow him to perform religious services for the facility.”

Eve raised a brow. “Is that usual procedure? To let a patient perform religious services for other patients?”

The doctor pulled a bit on his neatly trimmed white beard. “No, but Reverend Stevens is not your normal patient. If you were to meet him, I’m sure you’d see that for yourself.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea.” Eve said, rising out of her chair. “Why don’t we just go see him right now?”

The doctor smiled again. “I’m afraid that would be impossible. He’s not here.”

Eve narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”

“He’s not here. He’s off on sabbatical.”

She glanced at Peabody whose eyes had widened, then back at the doctor. “What do you mean, ‘off on sabbatical?’ How can a patient in a mental institution be ‘off on sabbatical?’”

The doctor started to pull at his beard a bit more nervously now. “He was not committed, Lieutenant Dallas. He checked himself in. Which means that he can check himself out at any time.”

“And you just let him?!” 

“I had no reason to keep him here. There’s nothing in his background that would indicate that he could be a danger to himself or others.”

“I’ll tell you what’s in his background.” Eve said as she laid her palms flat on his desk and leaned in. “More than a dozen murders, and your angelic Reverend Stevens is the main suspect. Now listen carefully, Doc. I need all records of his activity over the entire time he’s been a resident here.”

“Lieutenant, Doctor/Patient confidentiality would dictate…”

“Screw Doctor/Patient confidentiality! This is a murder investigation! Either you release those records to me, or I’ll slap you with so many health violations, you’ll be closed until the next millennium.”

The doctor scoffed. “You won’t find any health violations here.”

Eve straightened. “Peabody, do you suppose that was a droid rat I saw as we entered the facility today?”

Peabody’s expression changed only fractionally. “I doubt it sir. Though, it could have escaped from a lab somewhere on the grounds.”

“True.” Dr. Barnes blanched as Eve continued. “Still, I don’t think the great state of New York would appreciate the fact that a lab rat is loose in a medical facility like this. Especially one that seemed to be headed for that snack bar the droid was mentioning earlier. Rats infesting the kitchen…” She clucked her tongue. “The state’s not going to like that.”

“Alright, you win.” The doctor said holding up his hands in surrender. “You’ll have a complete set of files on the Reverend’s sabbaticals. But you’ll get dates only. Nothing else that would compromise his privacy.”

“Dates will be fine for now. We’ll save the other stuff for later.” As the doctor moved toward his computer, Eve’s ‘link beeped. She flipped it open and answered “Dallas.”

“Dispatch, Dallas, Lieutenant Eve. Voice print verified. Report immediately to The Windsor Hotel, 100 West 58th Street. Confirmed homicide. Code Yellow.”

“Confirmed. ETA 30 minutes. Dallas Out.” She said, and then dropped a card onto the doctor’s desk. “Have everything transferred to the unit listed here by end of day, or expect a visit from the health inspectors tomorrow.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.” Barnes grumbled ruefully as she and Peabody exited his office.


	9. Chapter 9

Eve looking into the face of the woman who’s life had ended in the bedroom of a small but lavishly furnished hotel suite. “Do we have a positive I.D. on her yet, Peabody?”

“Yes sir. She’s identified as Gayle Martin, aged 86. A retired songwriter now living in Tuscon, Arizona.”

“I was afraid of that. Is she listed on Jessica Reed’s disc?”

“Yep.” Peabody answered as she pulled up the information on her ‘link. “She’s got co-writing credits on three songs from the disc."

Sighing, Eve lifted the woman’s chin with sealed hands. “Looks like we’ve got puncture wounds in several places along her throat.” Gingerly, she pulled out a black stick from the woman’s throat. “Looks like this is the little bugger that did the damage. My guess is she either bled out or choked to death on her own blood.” Eve straightened and examined the bloodsoaked stick more closely. It had a small metal end to it that looked as sharp as her combat knife. “What the hell is this thing?”

Peabody stepped closer to examine the object herself. “OH! That’s an old style calligraphy pen! I’ve seen them before at the colony my parents lived in. There were a few freeagers there who would use these to do hand lettered calligraphy that they would sell.”

Eve looked at the black laquered pen with interest. “You mean, they use these to write with? On paper?”

“Some people still do, you know. They would dip that nib into a bottle of ink, and that’s what you use to write with. There was an old Native American woman that lived at the colony who used to make pens out of eagle feathers. Of course, harvesting eagle feathers was against the law, but nobody ever said anything. She used to create the most beautiful drawings with them.”

Eve looked amused. “Seems kind of inefficient when you can just use a stylus to put text into your ‘link. But, to each their own, I guess. And thanks for the trip down memory lane.”

“Any time sir.”

“Why don’t you bag this for me?” She handed Peabody the pen as something caught her eye on the bedside table. Moving around the bed, she approached the table and picked up a sheet of paper. “Looks like that old NA woman isn’t the only one who knows how to write with one of those things. Look here.”

Peabody stepped up behind Eve and read what was written on the small piece of paper.

“Those that kill by the pen, die by the pen.”

“It’s got to be the same guy.” Eve said. “Patch in to my unit at Cop Central and see who’s still alive. If anyone.”

“Yes sir.”

As Peabody did that, Eve checked the rest of the room as she murmured to herself. “He’s inconsistent. That’s what’s bugging me. Every murder is slightly different. He’s not following any pattern. Except for the notes, and even with those, the handwriting is different in each.”

“Could be he’s disguising his handwriting?” Peabody offered.

“Yeah, it could be, I guess.” Eve agreed, though she didn’t sound convinced.

Peabody’s link beeped, and she scanned the message there. “Well according to this, there were two people from Jessica Reed’s disc that were still alive. Gayle Martin and Jessica Reed.”

Eve considered. “Now with Martin gone, that just leaves Reed. I better order a couple of uniforms to watch her until we can catch this guy.” She took out her link. “Dispatch, Dallas, Lieutenant Eve. I need the address for Jessica Reed.”

_“Confirmed. Jessica Reed is currently residing at 145 East 49th Street.”_

One of Roarke’s best, Eve noted. “Requesting a guard detail be dispatched for Jessica Reed starting immediately.”

_“Confirmed. Guard detail will be dispatched immediately.”_

“Confirmed. Dallas out.” Eve turned to Peabody who was looking a bit bleary-eyed. “Look, I can go and talk to Jessica on my own. Why don’t you go home and get some rest?”

“Can’t. Got a hot date with McNab tonight. We’re going back to Club Y2K to take advantage of Roarke’s free drink deal.”

“Great.” Eve noticed the repulsion she normally felt when thinking of Peabody and McNab together hardly registered this time. “Well, you have fun then. Don’t over do it. I need you sharp tomorrow.”

“A few free stingers won’t hurt me.” Peabody said nearly pouting. “Besides they make McNab really horny.”

“Oh Christ.” Eve groaned. “I don’t want the details. Just go.”

“Yes Sir!” Peabody answered with an grin and an exaggerated salute, then turned on her heel and marched out.

“Smartass!” Eve called after her.


	10. Chapter 10

To Eve’s surprise, Mavis met her at the door of Jessica’s high rise apartment dressed in what looked suspiciously like something a maid would wear. Well, if the made was starring in a porn vid. The dress was black and very short, and was accompanied by a pair of black fishnet stockings.

“Dallas!” Mavis squealed and pulled Eve into the room. “Hey, we were just about to go out! Wanna come?”

Eve raised an eyebrow. “Where the hell do you think you’re going in THAT outfit?”

“Jessica and I are going to see a showing of ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ at the old Barrymore Theater!” She said, dancing on five-inch high black stilettos. “It’s going to be shown in its original form on actual film. Isn’t that mag? I'm Magenta.” She said, and twirled around once to give Eve the full effect.

“Uh huh." Eve said with absolutely no idea who Magenta was. "Yeah. Sounds great.”

Jessica had joined them by that time and explained. “My mother saw the film when it was originally released in the theaters. She took me to an anniversary showing when I was in my late teens. Now it’s kind of a family tradition.”

“Wanna come?” Mavis asked. “We've got plenty of rice, and Jessica made some toast, even.”

“Isn't it against policy to bring your own food into a public theater?” Eve asked. 

“Oh, it's not to eat.” Mavis answered brightly.

The possibilities were too weird for Eve to contemplate, so she set her mind to the task at hand. “Look, I need to speak with Jessica. About the case.”

“Why don't we sit down then, Lieutenant?” Jessica said, leading them down into a square sitting area in the middle of the room.

“Are you familiar with a Reverend Bill Stevens?” Eve asked.

Jessica smiled sadly. “Unfortunately yes. He sued me way back when over the death of his son. He claimed one of my recordings pushed the kid to suicide. Thankfully, there was already a similar case on the books when Ozzy Osborne and a few others were sued in the early nineties. A couple of kids committed suicide while listening to Ozzy Osborne, but the case was thrown out.” She glanced conspiratorially at Mavis. “The only thing Ozzy and I ever had in common. Well, besides our tattoos.” That earned her a chuckle from Mavis. “Anyway, I won the case but still felt bad for the guy. I heard his wife committed suicide shortly after and he went nuts. He's in some kind of mental institution now.” When she looked back at Eve she was puzzled. “Why do you bring it up?”

“Because Peabody and I paid a visit to Reverend Stevens today, but unfortunately he wasn't in. Seems he checked himself out about a week ago.”

Reading Eve's expression, Jessica blanched. “Stevens? You think he's the one?”

“We've got a pretty good indication of that, yeah. What's more, we've found that he's been checking himself in and out of said institution for the last forty years. You familiar with the name Tubby Green?”

“He was my drummer. He died during the Urban Wars.”

“He was beaten to death.” Eve told her. “What about Chet Watkins?” 

“My original keyboardist. He's dead also.”

“Dave Gibson?”

“My producer…” Her voice trailed off.

“Also dead.” Eve said. “And the one thing all these men had in common with Hash and Styles is that they all performed on the same recording. Yours. The one the Reverends son was listening to when he committed suicide.”

“Jesus. ” Jessica said as she put her head in her hands.

“All of them?” Mavis interrupted. “Everyone involved with her disc?”

“All but Jessica. We just found the body of a Gayle Martin.”

Jessica laid her head on her knees. “Gayle co-wrote 'Paradise Found' with me.” Jessica told them. “That was the song the Reverend's son was listening to when...” the sentence stopped on a sob and was immediately comforted by Mavis.

“Jessica, there's a strong possibility that you're the next target. We're going to put a guard on your door. And unfortunately, we're going to have to restrict your activities.”

“A guard!?” Mavis said incredulously. “You can't be serious. You're going to trust some rookie to look after her?”

“It won't be a rookie, Mavis. She'll be perfectly safe.”

“Oh, like Mira was safe when you put her under house arrest?”

Eve remembered very well the anguish she had felt that New Years Eve when David Palmer had nabbed Dr. Mira out from under the noses of four of New York’s finest. What’s more, Mavis had known what she had gone through then. “That was a cheap shot, Mavis.”

Mavis stood, put a hand adorned with black fingernail polish up to her forehead. “I know. I’m sorry. But, Oh, Dallas...you just can't let her stay here by herself!”

Jessica spoke up then. “Mavis, it’s ok. If Lieutenant Dallas thinks that it’s safe, then that’s good enough for me.”

“Well it’s not good enough for me.” Mavis said, patting Jessica on the back and giving Eve a pointed glare. “I don’t think she should be staying here by herself, Dallas. It’s not right.”

“Fine. You stay with her awhile.”

“She's only got one bedroom.” Mavis stated.

“What do you want me to do, Mavis?” Eve said wearily.

“Well, you and Roarke have that big house...”

Eve stood then and put her hands up. “Oh no. I just got rid of Jamie Lindstrom and McNab. I'm through with houseguests for a while. I just started to get used to swimming naked again.”

“You can still swim naked. Jess doesn't care. Do you, Jess?”

“Well, I...”

“See?”

Eve rolled her eyes, and then paced a few steps and back again. “Mavis, there will be guards right outside the door. If anything happens...”

“I don't trust anyone but you, Dallas. You and Roarke and Summerset are the only ones I trust looking after her.”

“We're not a damned babysitting service! Besides, what if Roarke doesn't want her there?” Even as she said it, she knew that a stupid argument, as Roarke had already become Jessica's champion.

“Call him and ask.” Mavis challenged.

Eve shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat. “He's busy. Probably buying some big space station or an arena ball team or something. I can't just call...”

Mavis crossed her arms and tapped one toe impatiently.

“Fine.” Eve relented and pulled out her link. Seconds later, Roarke's face came into view.

“Eve Darling. What a pleasant surprise.”

“Yeah, hey, I know you're probably busy so if this is a bad time...”

“It's nothing that can't wait. What can I do for you?”

“Well, we've got a suspect in the Hash and Styles murders, and we're suspecting that Jessica could be a possible target. We want to keep her under guard but Mavis thinks maybe she'd be safer somewhere other than her apartment.”

“Bring her home, Eve.” He said with a devastating smile.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I think it's a wonderful idea. I'll have Summerset make all the arrangements. I'll see you both later. Goodbye, Darling.” He cut transmission before she could protest further.

“Well.” Eve said as she cut transmission. “I guess I’ve got a new houseguest.”

Mavis ran across the floor and hugged Eve fiercely. “Thanks, Dallas. You’re the best friend any girl could ever have.”

“Yeah well.” Eve glanced at Jessica. “How quickly can you be ready to leave?”

“In just a few minutes.” Jessica told her. “I just need to throw a few things in a suitcase. I always travel light anyway. “I’d better see if I can wake Bart up. BART!” Jessica yelled as she disappeared into the bedroom.

Eve looked quizzically at Mavis. “Bart?”

“Her dog.” Mavis grinned and Eve paled.

“A dog? Mavis no.”

“Oh come on, Dallas. Bart won’t be any trouble you’ll see. He’s just a sweetie.” 

Just then the dog in question slowly padded into the room. He was short with big floppy ears that drug on the ground. He walked over to Mavis and sat, thumping his stubby tail wildly. 

“See?” Mavis said to her. “Isn’t he the cutest thing?” She crouched down and the already short skirt shortened even more as she pet the dog and talked to it as if she was talking to a baby. “He’s such a cutie. Isn’t he? Isn’t he? You’ll be good for Dallas, won’t you Bart?”

Eve rolled her eyes. “Mavis, you’re talking to a dog.”

“He can understand. He’s just so mag! I always wanted a dog. Look at that face.” Mavis said and grabbed the dog by its chin, tilting the face up toward Eve. “Who does he remind you of?”

Eve looked down into the dog’s face. “I have no idea.”

“Feeny!” Mavis said then giggled uncontrollably at her own joke.

“Mavis!” Jessica called from the next room. “Could you come here a minute honey, and help me with this?”

Mavis straightened. “I guess I’ll leave you two to get better acquainted now.”

As Mavis flitted off to help Jessica, Bart walked over sat down next to Eve. When Eve dared to glance down, Bart was looking up at her with very large and sad brown eyes.

“Don’t look at me.” Eve told him. “It wasn’t my idea.”

The stubby tail thumped twice, the only indication that the dog was even the least bit happy. Summerset was going to kill her, Eve thought. Then she looked down at Bart again and grinned. 

“Ok pal, you can come on one condition. You leave at least one little present a day somewhere for Summerset to clean up. Preferably on a really expensive rug or something. Understand?”

Bart’s tail thumped again and Eve took that as an affirmative.

“You’re talking to a dog, Dallas.” Mavis said as she came out of the bedroom with a suitcase.

“Bite me.”


	11. Chapter 11

Eve pulled her vehicle through the huge gates that protected the entrance to the mansion of a house she shared with Roarke as Jessica let out a low whistle.

“This is some place you have here.” Jessica told her.

“It’ll do for now, until we can find something bigger.” Eve told her matter of factly. When Jessica looked over in shock, Eve grinned. “I’m kidding.”

Jessica grinned right along with her. “Good one, Lieutenant.” 

Eve parked the vehicle at the bottom of the steps that lead to the door, knowing it would irritate Summerset, but not caring in the least. Then she rounded the vehicle to help Jessica with her things. The dog emerged from the car first and waddled up the steps as if he already owned the place. Eve found herself grinning thinking about how Summerset would react to having a dog in the house.

“I really want to thank you again for doing this.” Jessica told her. “I know it’s an inconvenience.”

“Not really. Actually, it will probably be better to have you here where I can keep an eye on you. And I know Roarke will get a kick out of it.”

As soon as she had shut the front door Summerset appeared as he always did, seemingly out of thin air. “Lieutenant, we do have a garage.”

“And this anal retentive bag of bones is Summerset.” She told Jessica, ignoring his barb.

Summerset managed a small sneer before breaking into a huge grin. “I’ll ignore that comment for the moment, as you have a guest. Ms. Reed, it’s wonderful to meet you. Might I say you’re only more attractive in person.”

“Well well.” Jessica said with a smile and extended her hand to Summerset. “I’m too old to blush, and I love compliments, so keep them coming.”

He took Jessica’s tattooed hand, covering it with his own lily white one. “Don’t worry, I have plenty. I’ve been a fan of yours for years. I had the pleasure of seeing you in concert many years ago in Dublin. You took my breath away.”

Eve had been following the conversation in disbelief. As she gaped, Jessica gave Summerset a flirty laugh. “Had I known such a handsome man was in the audience, I may have been tempted to cheat on my husband.”

Eve’s eyes only widened when Summerset laughed as well. “Had I but known. However, you’re here now, and whatever I can do to make your stay pleasant, you have only to ask.” He punctuated that statement by kissing her on the back of her hand.

It was too much. “Oh no.” Eve said, moving to stand between them as if she was referee at a prizefight. “No, no no. THIS…” She said, guesturing to the two of them, “..is not going to happen.”

Jessica’s brows raised, and Summerset stiffened. “To what are you referring, Lieutenant?” He asked.

“You and her. Together. In this house. It’s not going to happen in this or any other lifetime, so just cool your jets.”

Summerset sniffed, and smiled once again at Jessica. “I apologize for the Lieutenant’s rude behavior, Ms. Reed. She obviously has her mind in the gutter, as usual.”

“Look pal..” Eve started, but Jessica interrupted her.

“Lieutenant, it’s alright. Actually, I’m flattered by your assumption.”

“I wasn’t trying to flatter you.” She grumbled.

“Nevertheless, I’m flattered just the same.”

Summerset threw Eve a derisive look. “Perhaps it would be best if I showed Ms. Reed to her room now.”

There was no way she was going to leave them alone together. “Oh no. I’ll show Ms. Reed to her room. You go…dust something.”

“Very well.” Insulted, Summerset sneered again at Eve, then turned to Jessica with a smile. “Again, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Reed. Please let me know if you need anything at all.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Eve said as she hastily shuffled Jessica away to find and deposit her into the nearest guest room. 

“He seems very nice.” Jessica commented.

“Yeah, he seems that way doesn’t he?” Eve said sarcastically. “Apparently, he’s got something for female rock stars. Who knew?”

“I’m sorry?” Jessica asked as she took in the lavishness of the house.

“He’s got a little crush on Mavis too.” The way she said it made Jessica wonder if that irritated Eve or amused her.

Opening two large double doors, Eve led Jessica into a bedroom suite more lavishly appointed than the four star hotel Roarke had set her up in previously. “Hope this is ok,” Eve said as she dropped Jessica’s bag on the bed. “You’ve got a full entertainment center here, mini-kitchen, bathroom’s over that way.”

“It’s more than ok, Lieutenant. It’s amazing.” Jessica let herself be astounded for a moment, then took to unpacking a duffle.

Eve leaned up against the doorjamb of the room and crossed one booted foot over the other. “I would think a big star like you would be used to fancy rooms by now.”

Jessica smiled. “Yeah. In my younger days, I’d been a guest in many a fancy place. Homes belonging to record producers, movie stars. Stayed a few nights at the Playboy mansion. There’s an unforgettable experience. But, things changed for me in the last several years. I haven’t stayed in a place this nice in a long, long time.”

Eve noticed as Jessica was talking that the very first things she unpacked were photos which she now had arranged in various places around the room. A natural curious nature had Eve walking to the dresser and picking one up to examine it. In the photo was an older man and a very young girl on his shoulders. Eve was no good judge of ages, but guessed the girl was maybe around two. There was a button on the frame and when Eve pushed it, the scene came to life. 

_“Tell Grandma goodbye. We’re going back into the water now.” The man said with a huge grin._

_“Bye” The girl answered._

_“Bye, Sweetie.” Jessica’s voice came from nowhere._

_The man lifted the girl from his shoulders and they began to walk toward the breaking surf._

_“Angus, don’t take her too far away, honey.”_

_“Don’t worry.”_

When the scene ended, Eve looked up at Jessica who was standing next to her watching the scene as well. “Who’s this?” She asked.

Jessica smiled. “My husband and granddaughter.”

“Ah.” She studied the picture closely. Had she ever given any thought to whether or not she had grandparents out there anywhere? Just as quickly as it came, that thought was brushed aside and fished for a compliment she was fairly sure someone like Jessica would be waiting for. “She’s uh…cute.”

“Thank you. She was the light of our lives.”

Eve raised a brow. “Was?”

Jessica frowned and went back to unpacking. “We didn’t have a great relationship with our daughter, unfortunately. One day she took our granddaughter off and never came back.”

Eve looked back down at the photo, at a loss as to what to say next. “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.” Jessica sniffled.

A voice inside her head told Eve to get out of there and not get involved. A louder voice won out. “Look, Roarke, he…well, he just knows things. Knows how to find things out. I’m not really sure how he does it myself, but if anyone could find your daughter, he could. You should ask him to look into it for you.”

Jessica smiled sadly. “After all these years, I think if she had wanted to come back she would have. I’m sure he could find her, but what if she doesn’t want to be found?”

Eve thought about that. Would she want to be found if it was her? “Well, just a suggestion. Guess I’ll leave you alone to unpack now. If you need anything, let Summerset know.”

“Thank you again, Lieutenant. You’ve been unbelieveably kind.”

“You’re welcome.” Eve said then shut the door on Jessica and made her way to her own room.


	12. Chapter 12

Roarke found Eve several hours later still dressed in the robe she’d put on after her bath and scowling at her computer.

“Good evening, Lieutenant.” He said smoothly as he loosened his tie.

She looked up for only a brief second. “Oh. Yeah. Hi.”

He stopped for a moment, and then finished pulling the tie from his collar with a grin. “It does a man’s heart good to be so warmly greeted by his wife when he arrives home from work each evening.” He said with a hint of Ireland and a large portion of sarcasm.

“Sorry.” She reached out for him when he was near enough and gave him a kiss that he felt more than made up for the lukewarm reception.

He reached up and ran his thumb over the dent in her chin. “You look worried, Eve. Is anything wrong?”

She sighed, rolling her head around on her shoulders. “Yeah. I really thought I’d had him. Now I don’t.”

“Who?”

“The Reverend Bill Stevens. My main suspect in the Hash/Styles case. I really thought I had him because he’d been checking himself out of the mental institution where he has resided for the past 40 years. I thought for sure the dates he’d been checking out would coincide with the other murders that are tied into the case, too. But, none of the dates match. He was inside during every single one of these homicides.”

Roarke looked at the screen, studied the dates in question. “Could he have arranged for professional hits?”

She turned and looked at him, then laughed. “Well there’s an obvious possibility. I never even thought of that. I must be tired.”

He took that moment to give her a small hug. “You are, yes. I can see it. Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“Good. We can eat together.” He told her and then to please himself, gave her another quick kiss before he led her to the elevator that would take them to their room.

“So I got our new houseguest all squared away.” Eve told him.

“Yes, I saw her just now. Summerset was giving her a tour of the house. They were going out to the garden I believe when I left them.”

Eve’s eyes grew wide remembering exactly what the garden had inspired she and Roarke to do on numerous occasions. “And you just left them alone together?!”

“I saw no reason to tag along, and I was anxious to see my wife.” With a smile, he bent down and kissed her again, skimming his lips across her jaw line.

Her knees almost buckled. “Keep your libido in check for a minute. Look, I don’t think they should be left alone together.”

“And why is that?” He said into her ear and then began to nibble on her earlobe.

Her knees did buckle then. “Jesus, would you stop for a minute and listen? I think they’re interested in each other.”

That stopped him, but only for a moment. “Are they now?” He grinned. “Well, that’s wonderful.”

“Wonderful? Roarke, she’s all wrong for him.”

When the doors opened to their suite, his only thought was postponing dinner for an hour or so. He guided her in slow circles toward the bed. “Jessica’s a lovely woman. A bit older than him, but I’m sure they would find they have many interests in common.”

“She’s got tattoos for chrissake! And a nose ring!”

Roarke stopped then and looked puzzled. “Wait…do you mean to tell me you’re concerned for Summerset?”

Eve looked shocked for a brief second before exclaiming “No! I just, you know, don’t think they’re right for each other, that’s all.”

Roarke smiled, tumbling her onto the bed. “Which is exactly what has been said about us numerous times, and yet, here we are.”

“It’s not the same.” She grumbled.

“Oh, Isn’t it?” He rolled so she was on top of him, parting her robe as he went. “My darling, Eve. I believe Summerset is growing on you.”

Eve looked at him incredulously. “Oh yeah. He’s growing on me all right. Like a big ugly wart. If only I could get rid of him as easily.” She looked down as her robe hit the floor. “How come I’m suddenly naked and you’re still fully clothed?”

“You’ve been distracted.” He told her as his hands glided over her breasts. “You’ll catch up.” He had wanted this all day. It surprised him still how he could be in the middle of even his busiest day and find his mind drifting off to center on this. Just touching her and being touched by her. To guiding her up that crest, watching her shatter then watching her drift back down again. Some days it got him through just knowing he would be coming home to her. “Eve.” He said simply as his hand skimmed down to find her already wet. “Go over for me.” 

She was gliding over the peak even as he said it. Fusing her mouth to his as she shuddered from the orgasm.

“Jesus.” She said, dragging at his clothes. “I need you inside me. Now!”

His trousers hit the floor only seconds before he plunged into her. She wrapped her legs around his thighs, urging him closer and deeper. She kept her eyes on his as the second wave washed over her. Watched his eyes go dark as he continued to stroke into her.

“Go over for me now.” She smiled against his mouth. With a groan, he let his head fall onto her shoulder as he followed her over the edge.

Later as their bodies cooled, she stroked a hand down his back and thought of the little girl in the photo in Jessica’s room.

“When you found your mother’s family, that seemed to work out, didn’t it?”

The fingers that were combing through her short cap of hair stilled. She felt him tense fractionally. "I suppose it did. Why?"

“Nothing, really. It’s just…”

He waited a beat. Then two. “Just?” He prompted.

She sighed and sat up. “I shouldn’t get involved in this stuff. Everything inside of me is saying I shouldn’t get involved.”

He grinned. “What don’t you want to get involved in?”

She looked at him miserably. “Well, when I was settling Jessica in, she had this photo there of her late husband and their granddaughter.”

She noticed a change in his face that was quickly covered. “And?”

“And…” She blew out a breath. “I she told me how she hadn’t seen her granddaughter in years because her daughter had taken her away when she was a baby and Jessica hasn’t seen either of them since. It made me think of you and how things worked out with your mother’s family and I just wondered if Jessica’s daughter or granddaughter would want to be found.” She stood and paced over to the AutoChef, programming in a cup of coffee. “I mean, you were unsure at first about your mother’s family, but it turned out ok. I just wondered…”

“You want me to look into it?” He asked mildly.

She thought for a minute. “Nah. Forget I said it. It’s their thing, right? They should handle it.”

“Perhaps.” He said, “Did Jessica sound like she wanted to find them again?”

Eve sighed again. “Yeah she did. She sounded miserable. Which is one of the reasons I hadn’t been able to get it out of my head. I kept seeing your aunt, and wondering how miserable she’d been all these years without you.”

He smiled softly, rising out of the bed to wrap his arms around her. “Darling Eve, I believe you’re turning into a big softie.”

“Yeah well. Tell anyone and you’re a dead man.”


	13. Chapter 13

Eve’s link beeped as she was strapping on her harness the next morning. “Dallas.” She said as Morris’ face winked into view.

“Morning, Dallas. You look rested.” 

Harness in place and her leather jacket over that, she smiled. “I had a good night. What’s up?”

“I’ve got something interesting to show you if you can make your way over here today.”

“Ok, let me tag Peabody, and we’ll be over before we hit Central.”

“Excellent. See you then.”

She cut transmission, took another sip of her morning coffee then tagged Peabody who was already dressed in her crisp, neat uniform. “Hey, Dallas! You look rested. You must have had a good night. Of course, if I went to sleep next to Roarke, every night would be a good night.”

“You have a pretty active fantasy life, Peabody.” Eve said lightly, though her brows furrowed, as she looked at herself in the nearest mirror. She looked the same as she always did.

“It keeps me sane.” Peabody answered offhandedly.

“You keep thinking that. I talked to Morris just now. He’s got something he wants us to see. So I thought I’d swing by there this morning and pick you up so we can go over and see him.”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll be waiting.” 

She took one more swallow of her coffee then made her way into Roarke’s office where he sat scanning the financials and talking on his ‘link. “I’d like to have the Finlay report on my desk when I get in.” He said, she assumed to his assistant. “And Caro, now that I’m thinking of it, call my stockbroker and have him sell BioCyte.”

“Yes sir.” Caro’s voice answered. “Will there be anything else?”

“That will do for now. I’ll be in shortly.” He ended transmission and smiled when he saw Eve standing in his doorway. He stood and crossed over to her, giving her a short, affectionate kiss on the forehead. “Good morning, Lieutenant. You look rested.”

She frowned. “You’re the third person who’s said that to me today! Jesus. Do I look like shit most of the time or something?”

“Indeed not.” But more often than not she looked tired. She pushed herself too hard. He turned away to synchronize the numbers on his screen to the ones in his PPC. “On your way out?”

“Yeah. Swinging by the morgue before I hit Central.”

“Fun.”

“It’ll be a barrel of laughs, I’m sure.” She hesitated for a moment. “Look…what we discussed last night? About Jessica?”

“Yes?”

“You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want. I just thought…”

He looked up at her and smiled. “Don’t worry Eve. I’ve handled many delicate situations before. This will be no different. I’ll approach the subject with caution, and let her make the decision.”

“Good.” She said, though she didn’t sound all that sure. “Good. Well, I’m off.”

He crossed over to her and kissed her again, this time with more feeling, making her head spin just a bit. “Be careful, Darling Eve.”

“I will.” She smiled. “See you tonight.”

\-----------------

As they walked through the corridors of the city morgue, Peabody was grinning. “You’re awful chipper today.” Eve said to her. “And you look rested.” Eve’s lips twitched. If she had to hear it, so did Peabody.

“Thanks. I had a good night too. Probably not as good as yours what with you sleeping with the sex god of the universe, but McNab doesn’t do that bad in the sex god department, either. Handy, too. He installed this mag new showerhead for me. One of those flexible kinds you know? And we…”

“Stop!” Eve barked, putting a hand to her stomach. “I just ate.”

The swung through the doors and found Morris at his computer, humming along to the piped in music. He wore bright orange pants, Eve noted. When he turned to them, she could see that under his lab coat was an equally bright pink shirt and a thin black tie. “Good morning, Dallas. Peabody. How’s everything?”

“Rolling right along.” She told him. “What have you got?” 

He smiled. “Something very, very interesting. Take a look.” He uncovered one of the bodies currently lying on the slab. “Bachelor number one is an emergency MT. White male, 5’ 10” and approximately 140 pounds. He was found three days ago in an apartment in Brooklyn.”

Eve studied the body. Noted the smell. “How’d he die?”

“Ah. There’s where it gets interesting. It’s believed he self-terminated. They found a pressure syringe in his hand at the scene. It contained traces of Triphideride.”

Eve’s head snapped up. “Triphideride? Like Styles?”

“Just like.”

Her brain started clicking. “How many cases of Triphideride poisoning do you see on the average?”

“Styles was the first I’ve ever seen up close.” 

She studied the body again. “So, what are the odds that we’d have two within a few days of each other?”

“I’d say slim to none. But, we’re not done yet.” He walked over, and flipped the sheet off of the second body. “Bachelor number two is also a white male. 6’ 1” and approximately 185. This guy was an electrician. He was found in an apartment in Queens a couple of days after bachelor number one. Also self-terminated with Triphideride.”

Her brows winged up. “Is that right? Well, this is interesting.”

“But wait, there’s more.” He moved to the next table and exposed that body. “Bachelor number three. An artist, found in an apartment in Soho. I guess I don’t have to tell you how he died.”

“Self-termination with Triphideride.”

“Give the lady a prize!” Morris jubilantly said.

“What the hell?” Eve muttered. “There’s a link here. There’s got to be a link. This isn’t just a coincidence.”

“It gets better.” Morris told her, and nodded to a table. “Check out the clothes they had on when they were brought in.”

She went over and examined the clothes in question. There were three identical sets of black unitards and three identical pairs of black airshoes. “What is this? Some kind of freaky cult or something?”

“Could be.” Peabody said from behind her. “I read once about a cult out in California who all killed themselves by drinking poison because they thought that a UFO was coming to get them and take them to another planet.”

Eve looked appalled. “What’s with people?”

“They get sucked in by some authority figure. Someone who thinks they’re all-powerful or doing the Lords work.”

Eve raised a brow and looked at Peabody. “Someone doing the Lord’s work. Like, a preacher or something.”

Peabody picked up the thread and grinned. “Yep.”

Eve said goodbye to Morris and strode out of the room with Peabody fast on her heels. “Get me everything you can on all these guys. I want full names, aliases, religious affiliations, financials, everything. We’re going to find the link to Stevens there someplace.”

“Yes sir.”

“Tag McNab. See if he can get a location on Stevens. I’d like to talk to him face to face.”


	14. Chapter 14

“Found him!” McNab’s grinned as brightly as the silver that hung from his ears as he pranced into Eve’s office. “Some cabin out in Moab Utah. Got the number right here.” He flashed his palm unit, and then sent the number to Eve’s.

“Nice work, Detective. Now let’s see what this nutcase has to say.” As she waited for the computer to connect, Peabody walked into the office and flashed her a grin as bright as McNabs.

“I’ve got the info you wanted on the guys we saw this morning.” She handed the disc over to Eve and slanted a look towards McNab. “You work fast.”

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I haven’t heard any complaints so far.”

Eve groaned. “Please don’t start any witty sexual banter right now or I’m going to have to hurt both of you.”

A face winked onto her screen. The man was thin, gray, and reminded her very much of Summerset. She developed an instant dislike. “May I help you?” He said.

“This is Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the New York Police and Security Department. Am I speaking with Reverend Bill Stevens?”

“No, I’m his aide. May I ask what this is regarding?”

Fielding Stevens’ calls just like Summerset would field Roarke’s, she thought with disgust. “We need to talk to him regarding a legal matter.” 

If he was surprised he didn’t show it. “I’m afraid the Reverend is unreachable. He is out meditating.”

Eve put on her most intimidating cop face. “I suggest you find a way to reach him, and quickly, or find yourself facing charges of obstruction of justice.”

The man’s eyebrow rose fractionally. “I’ll see what I can do. Please hold.” When he was gone, Eve turned to Peabody. “Give me what you’ve got.”

“I scoured their records thoroughly, Lieutenant, just as you asked. I looked at personal history, financials and religious affiliations. Every one of them was affiliated and gave money over the years to ‘The Light and the Way Ministries.’ I’ll give you one guess as to who heads up that organization.”

Eve was now grinning just as brightly. “We’ve got him. Peabody, get me a list of anyone associated with ‘The Light and the Way Ministries.’ See how many more of them have self-terminated and how. Then I want you to match those dates up with the deaths of anyone associated with Jessica Reed’s recording. Unless I’m mistaken, our good friend the Reverend has been having his flock do the dirty work for him.”

As she was finishing, another face popped up on her screen. This man was just as old as the last one, but didn’t look nearly as tight-assed. “Lieutenant Dallas, I presume?”

“Reverend Stevens?”

“No, I’m sorry, Reverend Stevens is out meditating. I’m Thaddeus McLean, his attorney. Is there something I can help you with?”

She rolled her eyes. How many layers did you have to go through in order to speak to this guy? “Yeah. You can put Reverend Stevens on. I have a few questions to ask him regarding the deaths of Roland Styles, Ken Hash and Gayle Martin.”

McLean’s smile never faltered. “Those names don’t sound familiar to me. But, if you’d like, I’ll bring it up to him.”

She scowled, leaned in toward the screen. “What I’d like is for you to put Stevens on. I either talk to him now, or I drag his ass out here to New York.”

“Unless you’re ready to charge my client with some crime, the legalities of such an action…”

“I’m well aware of the legalities of such an action.” Eve interrupted him. “But your client is the main suspect in a string of murders. I’ve got evidence that ties my murders to him. So, I suggest you let me speak to him, or I go to the judge and force the issue.”

He sized her up before he answered again. “I’ll naturally have to speak to him about this myself. But, as his sabbatical is almost over, and he’ll be returning to the East Coast in a few days anyway, I don’t suppose it would hurt to cut this trip short and stop by. I will warn you though. The Reverend is not in the best of health, and I won’t allow his health to be put in jeopardy by worrying about something like this.”

“I’m going to set an interview up for tomorrow morning. I suggest you be there.” Eve told him levelly.

“We will be.”

She cut transmission and turned to Peabody. “I want any info we can dig up on Stevens. I know he’s behind this, but I need solid proof, and lots of it before tomorrow.”


	15. Chapter 15

Roarke stood poised at the entrance of Jessica’s room. She had a guitar in her hands and was sitting on the seat of the bay window that looked out over the gardens. He listened for a moment, trying to pick out the tune that was familiar to him but nothing was coming to mind.

“I don’t quite recognize that one.” He said quietly.

She looked up from where she sat and smiled. “Then shame on you. Beatles. ‘Across the Universe.’”

“Ah, well. Then yes, shame on me.” He smiled back at her, and then took a moment to look around the room. “I came to see how you were settling in.”

“Quite nicely, thank you. Summerset has been a huge help.”

“I’m lucky to have him.” Roarke said truthfully, when his eyes fixed on the photo that Eve had described to him earlier. Picking it up, he played the scene as Eve had then looked at Jessica. “A beautiful little girl you had there. Your granddaughter, right?”

She smiled as tears threatened to fall for a second time that day. “Yes.”

He nodded. “I knew a bit about your past before I hired you of course, what the press had printed anyway. I knew you’d been estranged from your daughter for several years. You haven’t found her again then?”

“Honestly Roarke, I haven’t looked for several years now. Sometimes I guess you just have to let things be.”

“Is that how you want it to be?”

She looked at him sadly. “It’s never how I wanted it to be. Just how it was.”

He let silence stretch for several minutes as he thought about his next move. “If I were to tell you that I might be in the position to help you find her if that’s what you really wanted, what would you say then?”

Her eyes looked as though she was afraid to hope that he could be telling the truth. “I would say that if you could do that, I would be forever in your debt.”

He thought for a moment of the information he had already gathered, and the holes that he would like to have filled, if only to satisfy his own curiosity. “Why don’t we start by you telling me a little about your relationship with your daughter.”

Jessica took a deep breath. “If you’ve looked into my past, then you probably know that I was a bit…I don’t know, rebellious early in my career. I won’t lie to you, Roarke, I was a partier. A big one. And, thanks to my success as a rock star, and the money that I made, I could afford to be. Drinking and drugs were a habits I indulged in daily.”

He said nothing. He of all people understood someone with a troubled past.

“What’s more,” she continued, “I was a workaholic. As a result, I found myself in my mid thirties, fairly wealthy with almost a lifetime of achievements under my belt, but there was one thing that I didn’t have. A family. That’s when I met Angus McFerrin. Gus, I called him. He was a musician from Scotland. Bagpipes. You a fan of bagpipes, Roarke?”

He smiled. “Can’t say as I ever acquired a taste for them, no.”

“The way my Gus played, you would have.” The way she said it and the look in her eyes told him how much she loved her husband more than any words could. “Anyway, he was solid, and he was stable, and just what I needed at the time. We were married two months after we met. It was a big Scottish wedding where there were kilts and bagpipes, and it was a huge media circus. Not too long after that, I was pregnant. So in a little over a year’s time, I found myself going from hell raiser to wife and mother.”

“Quite a change, I would say.” He said with a smile.

“Yeah. Gus said that it was fate telling me to cool it awhile. And I loved it, Roarke, I really did. We had a beautiful little girl, and we were a family.” She looked at his drink longingly. “I think I’ll have one of those.”

“Let me get that for you.” He said as he started to rise.

“No, I’ll do it. It will give me something to do with my hands.” She rose and as she programmed another whisky into the AutoChef, he noticed those hands weren’t quite steady. “All good things come to an end eventually, and it was the same with my domestication. Soon, agents started calling, movie studios started calling, ‘It’s been three years,’ they told me, ‘You need to come back now or you’ll never come back at all.’” She turned to face him. “It scared me, that they might be right. So, I did what any selfish mother would do, and I gave my child over to someone else to raise while I continued on with my career.”

“Many women do so without ill effects.” Roarke told her.

“Yes, and many don’t. I was one of those that didn’t apparently. My daughter grew up on the road, and the road ages you quickly. I of all people should have realized the dangers, but I put myself and my stupid career first.” Her voice cracked, and Roarke’s heart went out to her.

“Jessica…” He started.

“No, let me finish.” Brushing away a tear, she started to pace as Eve was compelled to do when she was working through a problem. “My daughter found ways to amuse herself while Gus and I weren’t around, which was often. By the time she was in her teens, she’d already begun drinking and using drugs. When she was sixteen, she ran away from home for the first time. I didn’t see her again until she was eighteen. By that time, I was tired of the performing and my husband and I had settled down, what some might call a semi-retirement, in a little house in Malibu, California. Our daughter had moved back home, but was still drinking heavily and using. We both tried all we could to get her into some kind of program and get her off the stuff, but as she pointed out, it was really pretty hypocritical of me when I’d spent nearly all of my adult life by that time doing exactly that same thing.”

She stopped then and looked at the glass in her hand then back to him. “The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree as they say.”

Roarke thought about his own past. “Sometimes yes, sometimes no.” he said and hoped to God that mostly, it was no.

“Well, anyway, she took off again, and we didn’t see her for another couple of years. She was twenty-one when she came back the second time, but this time she didn’t come alone. She brought a baby with her. My granddaughter. Six months old, and the most beautiful little girl you ever saw. My daughter said, ‘Here, Mom, since you did such a bang up job with me.’ Then she dropped the baby off and left. Just like that. I looked down at that little girl, and I should have been angry, but I couldn’t be. This beautiful little girl was mine now. I saw this as an opportunity to right some wrongs as it were. To correct my past mistakes. I’d screwed up with my own daughter, but maybe there was hope for my granddaughter. So, we became a family; Gus and I and our granddaughter, in that little house on the beach in Malibu.”

On the beach, he thought, as he looked at the photo of the little girl and her grandfather. The only other place besides the city where Eve truly felt comfortable.

“Two more years went by. Gus and I and our granddaughter were as close as a family could get. Then, like clockwork, our daughter came back again. This time with a man she claimed was our granddaughter’s father. They wanted the baby, and they wanted her now. No ifs ands or buts. Gus and I asked them to wait one day, and they agreed. That night, Gus and I talked it over. We wanted to try to convince them to leave the baby with us freely, and if they didn’t, we would fight for custody. But we never got the chance. The next morning, they were all three gone.” She looked at him now, as she finally sat back down. “We never saw them again.”

He gave her a moment before he spoke again. “Did you try going to the authorities?”

She laughed. “Yeah. And we were told, in a nutshell, tough shit. The baby belonged to them, so they had every right to take her, regardless of whether or not they’d abandoned her before. We could have tried suing for visitation, but we would have to find them first, and that proved to be impossible.”

“So you gave up.”

“No. We didn’t give up. They were just better at hiding then we were at finding. We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years Roarke, one scam artist after the next trying to find them. I nearly went bankrupt trying to find them. But, money doesn’t always buy everything.”

She looked around the room again and then back at him with a rueful laugh. “Well, maybe in your case it does.”

“Money’s not always the answer, no.”

“It was killing us, Roarke. The stress and worry and all the false hope. Day after day of it. It very nearly did kill Gus. He’d had two heart attacks before I finally put a stop to it. I couldn’t lose him, too.”

They sat in silence for a few moments before Jessica spoke again. “Anyway, that’s the story.”

He nodded. Gave himself a few more minutes. “It’s a sad story. And I’m sorry for it. Very much sorry for your loss. Now, I have a story for you.” He had debated mentally for some time now. Even before he brought Jessica here he had debated. How much to reveal, and to what end? He hoped…very desperately hoped…he was doing the right thing. “Without getting too far into details, I’ll just say that my wife doesn’t know much about her past. What she does know is very fuzzy. She knows what she believes to be her father’s first name and that’s about all she can remember of her parents.”

This time he got up and programmed a coffee into the AutoChef. More alcohol might impair his judgment when he needed to be as clear as he possibly could right now. “I have to say I feel as though I’m betraying a confidence by even telling you that much. The only reason I am telling you is because what little I know about her past and all of what I’ve learned about yours seem strikingly similar.”

Jessica’s heart was beating wildly in her chest. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m not sure exactly. To be honest, we’ve not looked too closely into her past for me to know for sure. But as soon as I looked at yours, I couldn’t help but wonder.”

“Was that the reason you hired me?”

He smiled as he took the glass from the AutoChef. “That among other things. I had to see you face to face. To meet you, to get some kind of idea of what kind of a woman you were.”

“And?”

“And I would be inclined to help you if not for one small thing.” He sat again, feeling a jumble of emotions. “I’ve promised Eve I wouldn’t look into her past until she was ready. I can’t break that promise. If I were to look into your past and find that what I suspect is actually true and you are related, I would be breaking a promise to her, even though it wouldn’t be intentional. I couldn’t do that.”

Jessica waited a minute before she spoke again. “And if it’s not her?” She saw the possibility register on his face before he controlled it again. “Roarke, if it’s not Eve then I may be losing out on the best chance I’ve ever had of actually finding my real daughter. My real granddaughter.”

He’d thought of that too. It was one of the things that had been eating away at him for the past few hours. When he didn’t answer, Jessica continued.

“Roarke, I won’t ask you to personally take it on yourself to look into it. But I’m willing to bet you’ve got at least one person at your disposal that could. Someone that could get the information for me and not involve you directly?”

“I do, yes.” The said with a slight smile, wondering how Eve would feel if he called in a few favors from people he had tried to distance himself from in the last year or so since he’d met her. “Do you have anything I could give them of hers?”

Jessica moved to the dresser and opened an ancient jewelry box. Lifting out the top shelf, she reached in and pulled out a piece of paper. “I’ve kept this all these years. It’s my granddaughters’.” When she handed the paper to him, he saw that it was some kind of certificate.

He couldn’t help but grin. “Baby’s First Haircut.” He read aloud and fingered the chestnut brown locks that were taped to the front. He fought back tears of his own and looked at Jessica. “This should do fine. I’ll get this back to you as soon as possible.”

“Roarke?” Jessica said as he turned to go.

“Yes?”

“My granddaughter used to love to listen to me sing. I would perform occasionally when we had her, and she would come to listen to the rehearsals. She loved music.” She grinned at the photo of her husband and granddaughter, then back at him. “Your wife’s best friend is a singer. Do you suppose that’s a coincidence?”

It was clear from the look on his face that it was something he’d never contemplated before. “Jessica, my wife finds it very hard to open up to anyone. She found it very hard to form real friendships until recently. And Mavis was one of the first friendships that she formed.” He laughed then, and shook his head. “You won’t find two more opposite women, yet they’ve managed to form a very strong friendship. I suppose somewhere in the back of my mind I’ve always wondered what it was about Mavis that attracted Eve to her.” He studied the lock of hair on the certificate one more time and then looked back at Jessica. “Maybe now we know.”


	16. Chapter 16

Eve rolled up in front of “Club Y2K” after a very long day. “I need to ask the manager here a few more questions.” She told Peabody as they exited her vehicle and headed for the door. Since this was one of Roarke’s clubs, she didn’t worry about her vehicle. There weren’t many thugs in this area of the city. She showed her badge and identified herself to the security camera and was buzzed in.

A great hulk of a guy whose bulging muscles were testing the limits of a pale blue t-shirt met them. “Lieutenant Dallas? My name’s Mike. I’m head bouncer here. What can I do for you?” He held out a beefy hand and shook hers powerfully.

“I’d like to see your boss. His name’s Galway, right?” She asked him.

He cringed. “Yeah, but I’m afraid that’s not possible right now. He’s looking over the books. Always puts him in a bad mood to have to deal with the numbers and Roarke promising everyone in the opening night crowd free drinks has screwed with the books a bit so the boss is in a worse mood than usual.”

“I think he’ll see us. Why don’t you go tell him we’re here, Mike?”

The hulk looked first at Eve then to Peabody and back again. “The boss has told me not to disturb him. For any reason.”

Eve’s gaze, which had been taking in the club which was now empty and lighted fully, flicked back to rest on Mike then eventually to his upper arm. “That’s a nice tattoo you’ve got there, Mike. I’ve seen that symbol before. But where? Oh that’s right. On guys that have been inside. That’s the symbol for one of the penitentiary gangs. If I were to pull up your record, Mike, what would I find?”

The hulk paled just a bit. “Hey now, Lieutenant. No need to start doing that. I’m clean. This was a long time ago.” He said with a gesture to the tattoo. 

“Peabody, run a background check on Mike here. I’m sure I can find something somebody missed.” She told him with a smile. “But don’t worry, you’d fit right in again, what with the tattoo and all.”

Peabody brought out her ‘link and hooked up to the Cop Central database. “Last name?” She asked him.

Instead of paling further, he chuckled. “Ok, ok. You win. Put away the palm link. I’ll bring you to him. Follow me.” He turned and as he made his way through the club. As they walked across the dance floor he said, “I really do admire forceful women. Not many have the guts to take me on. That husband of yours is one lucky man.” He said to Eve then threw a considering glance to Peabody. “I like the strong silent type too. What’s your name, honey?”

Peabody, who had been silently admiring Mike’s muscular form, now blushed. “I…uh…”

“No flirting with my aide, Mike.” Eve said as she gave Peabody a warning glance. “By the way, were you here the other night when Ken Hash was murdered?”

“Yeah. I was up front at the door. We had a big crowd, but only a few were able to get in. I was trying to control the rest.”

“So you didn’t see anything that might be helpful to us?”

“Not that I know of.” He said as he gave Peabody another look over then flashed her a grin. “My memory’s a bit fuzzy though. Maybe your aide here could take me to a privacy room and work me over a bit. That might jar something loose.”

Eve rolled her eyes. “My aide is a Police Officer, Mike, not a pleasure droid. You make one more comment like that and I’ll have to haul you in on sexual harassment.”

“Damn.” He said with a grin as he stopped at the office door. “I sure do like dominating women.” He hit a buzzer and said, “Boss, Lieutenant Dallas here to see you.”

“Thank You Mike.” Galway said and a few seconds later the door slid open.

Eve stepped through the door and into the office waiting area. Just before she could follow, Mike leaned down to whisper in Peabody’s ear, “You ever want to use those cuffs on a man who’s got some experience wearing them, you just let me know, honey.”

Peabody cleared her throat nervously, her eyes wistfully followed Mike’s retreating form down the hallway.

“Forget him and put on your cop face now, Peabody.” Eve said under her breath.

“Don’t worry sir, I’m totally devoted to McNab. But, McNab’s so skinny and that guy so wasn’t. Never hurts to fantasize a bit.”

“Well you just keep your fantasies in check until we’re done here.” Eve warned as the inner office door opened and John Galway stepped out. 

“Lieutenant Dallas.” He greeted her with an outstretched hand. “I’m sorry, you’ve caught me at a bad time. I’m going over last nights receipts.”

“So I heard. This will only take a few minutes though.”

“Ok, why don’t you come in to my office?” He led them through the door to a spacious well-appointed office. Only the best for Roarke’s employees, she thought as she and Peabody sat in large comfy chairs facing the desk and Galway took his place behind it. “So, what can I do for you?”

“We just wanted to follow up and see if you remembered anything useful about the night of Ken Hash’s murder.”

Galway’s wide moon-like face sobered. “No. I know you’re people went through here with a fine toothed comb, too. Whatever you have now is all I can give you.”

“You don’t remember anyone suspicious around? Any of your employees acting suspiciously that night?”

“No.”

“Do you happen to know if any of your employees might be affiliated with a group called ‘The Light and the Way Ministries’?”

He seemed to consider that, but met her level gaze with a smile. “Lieutenant, you know as well as I do that it’s illegal for any employer to ask about the religious affiliations of his employees.”

She gave him a smile of her own. “Well, that’s ok, why don’t we just start with you giving me the names of all your employees and I’ll check it out on my own.”

He nodded. “Give me a few minutes and I can have that ready for you.” He then turned and started typing commands into his desk unit. “I hear that you have a new houseguest.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And you heard that from?”

“Jessica.” He smiled. "I spoke with her this morning. She called to let me know what was going on.”

“Oh. Well, yeah we thought it would be safer if she stayed with us.”

“I can imagine. I’ve been to the boss’s house once. Huge. Lots of security.” He glanced back to her. “If you’ll get your ‘link ready, I can send these names over."

“Sure.” Eve placed her palm unit on the desk.

He hit a button to begin transmission then leaned back in his chair. “I’m wondering Lieutenant, if it would be ok for me to drop by and see Jessica. She’s come to mean a great deal to me in the short time I’ve known her, and maybe it will give her something to keep her mind off of all this. We can start planning for her return to our stage here.”

When the transmission was through, Eve picked up her ‘link then stood. “I don’t see why not. I’ll let Roarke and Summerset know you’re coming.”

“Wonderful.” He said, his wide face splitting into another grin. Eve took his hand again when he held it out to her. “I appreciate all you’ve done to help her out, Lieutenant. With you on the case I’m sure you’ll find whoever is responsible soon.”

“Oh you can bet I will.” She told him. “That’s a promise.”


	17. Chapter 17

It was at first insulting not to find Summerset waiting for her when she entered the house. But, understandable once the security system alerted Eve to where he was.

“Summerset is in the music room.” The computer told her.

“Hm.” She said to herself. “I wonder who else is in the music room, as if I didn’t know.”

“Other occupants of the music room include Jessica Reed, Roarke and Mavis Freestone. Would you like me to announce you, Darling Eve?” The computer answered her mumbled question and she rolled her eyes.

“No, thanks. I can handle it from here.”

As she drew nearer to the room, she heard a voice sounding strangely like Mavis, but without the screech. It was a softer, sultrier version of Mavis’ voice that Eve had never heard before. When she got to the doorway of the room, Eve stopped and just listened to her best friend belt out a tune better than she’d ever heard Mavis sing before.

_Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin'  
Do you feel my heart beating  
Do you understand  
Do you feel the same  
Or am I only dreaming  
Is this burning  
An eternal flame_

Eve looked over at Summerset, who was clearly entranced, but she was unsure if it was by Mavis or by Jessica, who was currently accompanying Mavis on piano. In another part of the room, Roarke was grinning at the both of them as well. As if he’d sensed her presence, Roarke glanced over then joined her standing in the doorway.

“Lieutenant.” He said silkily, giving her a very silky kiss to go with the greeting. Then pointing to Mavis asked, “What do you think?” 

“She’s incredible. I mean, I always thought she was something, but I never heard her sing like that before. She’s really good, isn’t she?”

He smiled. “She’s wonderful. But, you saw the potential before anyone else did, didn’t you, Darling Eve? You even encouraged her. I wonder why it should surprise you so much to see that potential blossom.”

She made a dismissive gesture. “I liked to hear her sing. I guess there was just something about her voice that I liked.”

And wouldn’t it be interesting, he thought, if whatever she saw in Mavis had to do with the woman currently singing with her?

When the music stopped, Jessica smiled at Mavis. “Not bad! I think you’re getting the hang of it. You want to pull the emotion out of yourself, and thereby pulling the emotion out of your audience. If you want to really connect with them, the music has to come from inside of you.”

“Thank you so much!” Mavis gushed as she gave Jessica a huge hug. “It’s going to be so mag! He’s going to love it!”

“Who’s going to love what?” Eve said. 

“Dallas!” Mavis flitted around the piano, and ran up to Eve hugging her just as hard as she did Jessica, if not harder. “It’s going to be a surprise for Leonardo for his birthday. I’m going to sing it to him at my next show. Did I sound ok?”

“You sounded great.” Eve said, oddly touched by the sentimental gesture. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you sound better.”

“It’s all Jessica’s doing. She’s teaching me how to really sing. I’m thinking about recording a whole disc of old love songs like that. Wouldn’t that be iced? What do you think?”

Since it made her happy to see Mavis so happy, Eve smiled. “I think it sounds great.”

Mavis hugged her again. “Well, I think I’m gonna go home to the man in question right now. Oh, I can’t wait for him to hear! Thanks again, Jess!”

“My pleasure, honey.” Jessica answered as she rose from the piano bench.

After Mavis left, Eve turned her attention to Jessica. The woman had been staring at her since she first entered the room. Eve had felt more than a little uncomfortable with that. She blocked it out in order to smile stiffly at Jessica. “I really appreciate you being so good to Mavis. It’s nice to see her so happy.”

As if jolted awake from some daydream, Jessica shook her head before answering. “She has talent, so it hasn’t exactly been a chore.”

Eve glanced over at Roarke, who had been dividing his gaze between her and Jessica equally. “Well I hate to break this up.” She said, “But I’ve got a lot of work to do before tomorrow morning.” She looked again at Jessica. “I’m interviewing Reverend Stevens tomorrow. Anything else you can think of to tell me about him?”

Jessica shook her head. “No. Apart from the fact that he just seemed to be a nice guy when I met him. Hard to believe he would be the one.”

Eve narrowed her eyes. “You’ve met him?”

“Sure. After our day in court, and after his wife killed herself, I went to visit him up at the hospital he was staying in. Seemed pretty pathetic if you ask me. Nice, but pathetic.”

“Well, we’ll see how pathetic he seems tomorrow.” Eve yawned then looked up at Roarke. “Oh, by the way, the manager of “Y2K? He wants to come and visit Jessica tomorrow. I Ok’d it, but I thought you should know.”

“You look tired, Eve.” Roarke murmured.

“Yeah well. I’ll sleep later.” Eve said, leaning her head on his chest.

“Stubborn.” Roarke said to nobody in particular then skimming his thumb into the dent in her chin as he’d done thousands of times before said, “She’s got a strong and stubborn chin, don’t you think so, Jessica?”

Eve felt the heat of Jessica’s gaze again and looked up to see her gaze clouding over. “Yes.” Jessica answered. “Very much like my Gus had. With that little dent there, it reminds me very much of his.”

Silence, uncomfortable silence for Eve, who felt more like a lab rat than anything else, stretched for a full minute before Jessica finally spoke again.

“I think I’d better turn in. I’m not as young as I used to be, and late nights don’t seem to agree with me anymore. I’ll see you both tomorrow.” She rushed out, with Summerset hot on her heels.

Eve turned a questioning gaze up at Roarke, who was giving her much the same look as Jessica did. “What are you looking at?” She said, with a hint of irritation. “Jesus, I’ve felt like I’ve been under a microscope since I entered the room.”

“Just thinking how beautiful you are, Darling Eve.” Then just because he wanted to, he kissed her dented chin. “What do you say I help you out with that research so we can both get to bed early as well?”


	18. Chapter 18

Eve looked through the two-way glass at Reverend Bill Stevens and his lawyer, Thaddeus McLean who she spoke to yesterday. The reverend was a large man. Not just tall, but solid and muscular with a wide face and perfectly coiffed white hair. He sat there very calmly, smiling and talking to McLean as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Look at him, Peabody." Eve said. "Not a hint of worry on him. No sign of any sweat. Cool as a damned cucumber."

"You'll make him sweat pretty soon, Sir." Peabody offered.

"Damned right." Eve took another swig of coffee then headed for the door. "Ok, let's get him."

She entered the room with a smile that Peabody knew was deceptively hiding her true feelings about Stevens and this case.

"Reverend Stevens." Eve said, holding her hand out to the man.

He stood very politely and smiled himself. "Lieutenant Dallas, I presume? I've seen your face before, in the news. You and your husband make a fine looking couple. I've said that many times. Haven't I said it before, Thaddeus?"

"Yes you have, Reverend." McLean answered him indulgently.

"You seem very happy, too." Stevens went on. "You've been blessed by God. I hope you realize that and have given thanks to Him."

"I'm not a particularly religious person, Reverend. But, I don't mind saying that I have given thanks to...whoever...for him, yes."

Stevens seemed appeased by that and sat back down while McLean spoke. "I haven't told the Reverend much about what you wanted to speak to him about, Lieutenant. Maybe you should explain to us why he's here."

Eve leveled a gaze at Stevens. "Reverend do you know who Roland Styles is?"

His mouth was fixed in a pleasant smile. "No, I can't say as I do. Thaddeus?"

"Doesn't sound familiar, Reverend."

Eve wondered whether or not Thaddeus ever disagreed with his boss. "How about Ken Hash or Gayle Martin?"

She was met with the same pleasant smile. "No. I'm sorry."

"What if I were to tell you the had all participated in some way in a recording by Jessica Reed?"

His smile wavered for a second. His eyes darkened. "Ah. There's a name that's familiar." He said.

Eve smiled. "I thought so." She took the photos out of an envelope and spread them out in front of him. The last gruesome photos taken of Styles, Hash and Martin. His eyes registered the shock of seeing the bodies. Good, Eve thought. Let him see the gruesomeness of his people's handiwork.

McLean jumped up from his seat now. "What is the meaning of this, Lieutenant? Don't you understand that the Reverend is in a fragile state of mind? Seeing this horror could undermine all the work he's done for years to make himself better."

"No...no, Thaddeus, it's ok." The Reverend said, weakly. Eve gave him credit. He met her gaze levelly. "What do these people have to do with me?"

She threw three more photos on the table. "Do you recognize any of these people?"

He studied them closely. "No. They're dead, too?"

"Yeah. All self-terminated right after the murders of the first three. All of these people are members of 'Light and the Way Ministries.'"

The Reverend looked at her, his eyes wide with shock. "That can't be."

"I've got evidence that says it is. I have evidence that links your people to the murders of every person on that recording."

"My followers would never kill, and they would never self-terminate. Both are crimes against God. Anyone committing either will burn in hell for eternity."

"That's the problem, isn't it, Reverend. Your son also self-terminated. He'll also be burning in hell for eternity, and it was Jessica Reed's fault. Isn't that what you believe? Is that what you told your followers when you talked them into killing for you? Doesn't the Bible talk about an eye for an eye?"

He looked at her hotly. "Yes, and it also talks about turning the other cheek. A lesson I've spent the last 40 or so years learning. If my people committed those crimes, then my only mistake was that I did not teach them the true word of God. If they are taking it on themselves to do this, then I have failed as a minister and that is the only way in which I am responsible. I do what I can to teach the true word of God, but if they have instead chosen to listen to the devil in this, I have no way of stopping them."

She wasn't going to let him off that easily. She picked up the photos again and made sure he looked again at them. "This is what you wanted, wasn't it, Stevens? To see them die. To see all of the people involved in that recording die." She put both hands on the table and leaned in. "They killed your son. They made the recording that convinced him to pull that trigger. You took them to court for that, but the court didn't see it your way, did they? The court just let her walk. Let Jessica Reed and all these other people walk after what they'd done to your son."

He was getting angry. She could tell by the look in his eyes, the slight elevation of his body heat and the way his ears were pinkening just slightly.

"How easy would it have been, Reverend?" She continued. "Preach to your followers that justice must be done. You had enough influence on them to get them to do whatever you wanted. You probably thought it was pretty smart to get them to do your dirty work for you. That way you couldn't be held responsible. But you made a mistake there. You can be held responsible and you will."

"Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord." He told her quietly, though if she read his body language right, she knew he was very upset. "Only God has the power of vengeance. God and only god. Man is not allowed to make that decision. God makes it very clear that HE does the judging and he collects the retribution. I will not lie and say that I haven't been following the lives of those that I felt were responsible for my son's death. I have. I've known where they were and how they lived every single day of their lives since I lost my son. When they started dying, I assumed God was answering my prayers. I felt they were all getting what they deserved. But I would never have ordered for their deaths."

"So you think death is what these people deserved."

"Absolutely."

"That's pretty cold and callus for a minister."

"It's the truth."

"I would think you being a minister, you would be above any feelings of animosity or resentment."

He shook his head, his snowy white hair staying rigidly in place as he smiled at her sympathetically like he would a child who didn't understand today's Sunday school lesson. "Of course not. I'm human, after all. We all are. I have always maintained that I believed that record and those who recorded it were responsible for my son's death, and ultimately my wife's death. The anger has lessened, but it's not gone completely, nor will it ever be. In that, I am just as human as the next person. No human is ever above feelings of anger and hurt. Read your Bible. It's filled with stories of men who, though they were filled with the word of God, struggled with very human emotions on a daily basis. I am no different. But it was because of the fact that I am filled with the word of God that I could resist the temptation to seek retribution on those who I think may have wronged my family."

"Someone is seeking retribution, and using your people to do it."

"If they are, it's unfortunate. God will deal with them in his own way, in his own time. I have not, nor would I ever order my people to do something that would cost them their places in the kingdom of heaven. I've said the same to my own son many times."

"Before or after his death?"

"My son is not dead."

She looked surprised then. "He's not, huh?"

"No. Of course not. I've never said he was."

Yeah, he was a loony. He seemed normal on the surface, but obviously had some sort of delusion that his son was still alive, which was probably why he was still being hospitalized. "Isn't that what this is all about Stevens? Retribution for your son's death? You said to me only minutes ago that you felt God was paying these people back for your son's death."

"My son Mark, yes. My son John is still alive."

She froze as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "You have another son?"

"Yes. John. He was older than Mark. He comes to see me now and again. He's a fine man."

"I'm sure he is." Eve said through her teeth and then looked at Stevens' lawyer. "We're taking a break. Keep him here. I need to talk to my team."

"Lieutenant, if you have no charge to file against my client, I insist that you end your questioning and release him immediately."

"Your client may still have information pertinent to this case. He stays. Peabody, get our guest some coffee or something while he waits then meet me in my office." As she strode out of her office, she hailed McNab on her link.

He was smiling when his pretty face swam onto the screen. "Yo, Lieutenant. Did you get him yet?"

"No I didn't get him yet. He's got another fucking son! I need you to do a search for a John Stevens. Possibly under an alias. He's got to be underground since we missed him the first time."

"Right away, Dallas."

As soon as his face blinked off, she called Roarke. His even prettier face was grinning when he answered her call. "Eve, Darling. What can I do for you?"

"Sorry to have to interrupt you at work, but I need a favor. I just found out that Stevens had another son. We completely missed him the first time around, dammit."

She saw him turn to his work computer, his fingers flying furiously over the buttons. "Don't worry, Eve. We'll find him."

When Peabody entered the office she found Eve pacing and heard Roarke muttering to himself over Eve's link. "You've got Roarke working on it?"

"If anyone can find this guy, he can."

Eve saw a flash of a grin on Roarke's face, though it never left his computer screen. "I'm flattered you think so highly of me, Lieutenant."

"Be flattered later. I haven't got much time for it now."

"You're a regular tyrant, Lieutenant. Ah. Here we are. What do you know? He does have another son. The records were buried, but they're here."

She strode back to her desk, squinting at her link. "Is there a recent photo anywhere?"

"There's a small one here from his college yearbook, but I can't see much. Let me blow it up."

She watched through the tiny screen of her link as Roarke fiddled some more with the keyboard, and a larger photo of John Stevens slowly filled the screen.

"Fuck me." Roarke's astonished Irish brogue came from the link.

"Oh Christ." Eve answered.

"What??" Peabody asked, trying to see the photo that Eve and Roarke had already recognized.

"It's Galway." Eve told her. "It's fucking Galway, and he's on his way to see Jessica right now."


	19. Chapter 19

They made it to the house almost exactly at the same moment. She noticed that Roarke had opted to drive himself. Then she wondered how many traffic laws he'd broken in order to get here. She parked in front of the front door as usual, and noticed it was open, which was not usual. Quickly scanning the area, she saw no other cars besides hers and Roarke's.

As she and Peabody exited her vehicle, Roarke was taking long quick strides toward her. "The fucking door's open." He said to her. "Summerset would never leave the door open like that."

She grabbed his arm before he could launch himself up the steps. "Hold on a minute. He may still be in there." She grabbed her laser, and saw Peabody do the same. "You hang back and let Peabody and I go in first."

"Fuck that. We go in together." Roarke said defiantly as he pulled out his own weapon.

Eve held him back. "No. I mean it, Roarke. Let us do our job. Just hang back a few paces, and let us go in first."

Reluctantly, with his eyes never leaving hers, he stepped back once. Eve gestured to Peabody, and they both bounded up the stairs with Roarke on their tail.

Once inside, they were greeted by the sight of Summerset face down on the floor. "Shit!" Eve cursed, swept the area with her laser once before moving toward Summerset, though she had a feeling there was nobody left in the house.

"Bloody Fucking Hell, not again." Roarke's tortured voice came from behind her as he rushed past Peabody to get to Summerset.

Eve had been checking his pulse when Roarke crouched down beside her. "He's alive." She told him and he released the breath he was holding. She felt the bump she saw forming on the back of his head. "He'll probably have a bitch of a headache, but he'll live. Peabody, call the MT's."

Eve got up and moved to the house link. "Where's Jessica Reed?"

"Jessica Reed is no longer in the vicinity."

"Can she be reached on her link?"

"Negative."

"Shit. Ok, play the security video, foyer area, starting from when the front door was first open."

Roarke stood then and he and Peabody came to stand next to Eve as the video of what had happened. They saw Summerset opening the door and John Galway step through. Summerset called Jessica, and he and Galway made small talk for a few moments. Summerset offered to take Galway's coat, and as he turned his back to put the coat away, Eve saw Galway clasp his hands together and deliver a blow to Summerset's head that had him out like a light in barely a second.

"He'll be sorry for that, the fucking bastard." Roarke murmured. "He'll fucking pay for that."

"Oh yeah he'll pay." Eve assured him, feeling just a bit sick as she watched Summerset hit the floor. "You better believe he'll pay."

They watched as Jessica came bounding down the steps. She'd seen Summerset on the floor, and before she could come to his aid, she was being grabbed around the waist by Galway and hauled kicking and screaming to the front door. Galway gave one big flashing grin and waved his middle finger at the camera he obviously knew was there and then with a message for Eve to "come and get her" he exited, leaving the door open behind him.

"Ok," Eve said, "Let's think now. Where would he take her? Dammit, why didn't I put a collar on her or something?"

The heard the sirens from the MT's vehicle just as Eve's link beeped. Feeny's face popped up when she answered. "Hey, kid. That minister you left behind here? His son just called him. Wants daddy to meet him at Roarke's new club in twenty. No cops, he said, but I don't think I have to ask you what you think about that order."

"No you don't. We're on our way. Get a team together and we'll meet you there."


	20. Chapter 20

As the her team was assembled outside of Club Y2K, Roarke was showing them a floorplan of the building on the computer inside of the Police issue van. 

“Depending on where he is, you have several ways to get at him.” Roarke told them. “The doors would be locked, however, I do have override capabilities. You can enter from the back of the club here, or from the top, which would lead you out onto a catwalk above the stage.”

“The stage.” Eve said confidently. “That’s where he’d do her. Right there where she’s most comfortable. Maybe have daddy in the audience watching.” Then she had a thought. “Where’s the control booth in there? Lights and sound, that kind of thing.”

“Here.” Roarke pointed the spot out on the floorplan. 

“Good.” Knowing Roarke would probably know how to work every piece of equipment in that building, she looked at him and said, “You’ve been officially deputized. When we go in, you and Peabody get up to that room. If he’s on the stage, I want you to turn on every damned stage light they have. Only the stage lights. I’ve heard Mavis complain enough times to know the stage lights are hot and bright and that she can’t see a thing when they’re all on at the same time. Hopefully, Galway will be the same and he won’t be able to see us when we go in.”

After a few more orders to her team, they were ready, and invaded the building as quietly as possible. Eve saw from the corner of her eye Roarke leading Peabody up a set of stairs that led to the control booth. As she silently directed her team to take up posts around the perimiter of the club, she heard Galway on the stage.

“I said pick the fucking gun up, dad!” She moved closer and watched as Reverend Stevens crouched to pick up a laser that was on the floor next to his feet, his hands visibly shaking. Galway had another laser to Jessica’s ear. As Stevens straightened back up, the stage lights came on, flooding the stage with white hot light. Galway’s aim at Jessica’s head faltered a bit when the lights came on. Eve took immediate advantage of his momentary disorientation.

“Everyone get into position!” She said into her communicator. “Move!”

Her team members scattered like ants taking up positions all around the club. All the while she kept her eye on the laser that was still being held to Jessica’s temple.

Beads of sweat began popping up on Galway’s forehead and upper lip, but his sinister smile hid any trace of nervousness. “I believe we have company. Not that it will do either of you any good.”

“Give it up, Galway.” Eve said from where she stood in the dark. “I’ve got NYPSD all over this room. They’re covering you from every angle. There’s no way you can get away with this. You’ll end up in a cage.”

He grinned. “Do you think that matters to me now? Years alone in a cage? I’ve spent my entire life alone, Lieutenant and this man,” He guestured to Stevens, “This man who was supposed to be my father, was responsible for taking away the two people who even mattered to mattered to me in my life. The only two people who had kept me from being alone.”

“Son…” Stevens started but was cut off by Galway.

“Shut the fuck up, Reverend Stevens.” He spit out the name with a viciousness that had the older man wincing. “You spent my entire childhood ministering to other people. Being a father to other people’s children, while your own sat home desperate for your attention.”

“Son, those people needed me.” The reverend pleaded. Eve could see the laser he’d picked up from the floor was being awkwardly held in a shaking hand. “Don’t you understand? I was their shepherd, their teacher. I was responsible for their souls.”

“You were responsible for your own family first! You were OUR father! Where were you when WE needed you? Where were you when MARK needed you? Where were you when Mark had locked himself in his room that day? Where were you when he pulled that trigger? Your own family always took a back seat when it came to your flock and all of your fucking causes. But this time…this time I come first. You’re going to prove to me I come first. Take that gun and put it up to the old lady’s head. DO IT!!”

Both Stevens and Jessica jumped at the barked command. Then Stevens slowly raised the hand that held the laser, aiming it at Jessica’s head. 

20

Eve felt a few of her team move closer. “Stand down, do you hear me? Don’t make any moves that will set this guy off. Wait for an opening.”

“Please son.” Stevens begged, “Don’t do this. I can’t kill her.”

“No?” Galway took his own laser from Jessica’s head and then aimed it at his own. “How about now, dad? What if I said that if you don’t pull that trigger, I’ll pull mine. It’s her or me dad. What are you going to do? Who’s more important now?”

“Jesus, the bastard’s nuts.” Eve heard Feeney’s voice in her earpiece. She agreed wholeheartedly, looking frantically for any opening she could have to turn the situation around.

“I thought once mom died, you’d retire. You told me you would. But you didn’t. You traded one obsession for another. You went from being obsessed with your church to being obsessed with her.” Galway tilted his head toward Jessica. “At first I thought you would go after her and make her pay for Mark’s death. But you didn’t. You went nuts instead. So retribution was up to me. Now we’ve come down to one last piece of that puzzle. The last and most important piece. Now I want you to prove to me how much I mean to you by finishing off the job you should have been doing to begin with. Finish her dad, or watch me die. I have nothing more to live for, so don’t think I won’t do it.”

Stevens was sweating profusely as he considered his situation. Pull the trigger, and he would have committed the ultimate sin against God and man. Don’t pull the trigger, and he would watch his own son die before his eyes.

Stevens and Galway were so intensely focused on each other, neither one saw the slight move that Jessica had made, but Eve caught it and cursed. 

“Stay still for Chrissake.” She whispered the plea only a split second before Jessica grabbed the gun and twisted it out of Steven’s shakey grip. Before Galway had the time to react, Jessica had reversed the situation, and now held the gun to Stevens’ head.

“Ok, John.” Jessica’s voice wavered slightly as she spoke. “What will you do now?”

Galway scoffed. “You wouldn’t kill him.”

“Wouldn’t I? What’s stopping me? A jail sentence? Spending the rest of my life alone is already a sentence I’m serving. You made sure of that. Jail’s just a change of location. This bastard’s been a thorn in my side for years. I’d be glad to be rid of him.”

Galway looked as though he was undecided as to what to do from this point. This was an unexpected turn of events. “Shoot him then.” Galway sneered. “What do I care if he lives or dies? He’s never been my father.”

“But he is your father, John. I think you do care. As much as you might hate to admit it, you care whether he lives or dies. Put down your gun, John.”

Galway looked from Jessica to Reverend Stevens and then back again several times before finally speaking. “I’m sorry dad. I’m sorry.” Eve saw Galways hand tense a split second before the laser went off. Too late for her to do anything but curse.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” She said into her communicator. “Someone get the fucking MT’s in here, now!” She vaulted onto the stage as Stevens was dropping to his knees beside the body of his oldest son. Bypassing him for now, she approached Jessica cautiously. Jessica’s hand was still gripping the laser hard.

“Why don’t you let me have that, Jess?” Eve said quietly as she pried the woman’s hand away from the gun. “That was some move.”

“Movie.” Jessica answered as the shock of the situation started her trembling. “I played an FBI agent in a movie once. Picked up a few things. Oh God.” Jessica’s knees buckled then, and Eve had her arms around the woman before she hit the ground. 

“Oh God, Roarke!” Eve called out, knowing he would be nearby.

“I’m here, Eve. I’ve got her.” Eve handed Jessica over to him as police and medical personnel flooded the stage.


	21. Epilogue

Roarke stopped in the hallway, temporarily taken by surprise at the site of Summerset, with no shoes and his shirt unbuttoned, silently slipped from Jessica’s room. Glancing over, he saw Roarke’s stunned face and immediately straightened.

“Roarke.”

“Summerset.”

There was an awkward pause before Summerset finally said, “Please tell Jessica that I’ll be down to drive her home as soon as I’ve changed.”

“Certainly.”

With that, Summerset walked away looking as dignified as any man could look in the same situation. What he wouldn’t have given to have seen Eve’s reaction to that, Roarke thought with a grin, then knocked lightly on Jessica’s door.

“Come in.” Jessica answered. Roarke pushed his way into the room and silently closed the door behind him.

“Roarke.” Jessica said, nervously belting the robe she was wearing a bit tighter. “Lawrence was just…”

“No need to explain.” Roarke told her, then handed her an envelope. “This is for you.”

Jessica opened the package to find the lock of hair she had given him earlier and a disc. Her eyes filled with tears. “So this is it? This is the information I need?”

“It should be, yes.” Roarke told her. “I haven’t checked the disc myself, but my source is very thorough. Anything that could be found will be on that disc.” The disc his fingers still itched to touch. The disc he had came dangerously close to looking at himself.

“I want to thank you for this.” Jessica answered. “I don’t think I could ever repay you.”

“The look on your face is repayment enough.” As tears threatened his own eyes he took a deep breath. “Well, I’ll leave you to it then. Let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll have a car sent around.”

“I will, thank you.”

He opened the door to leave and the last thing that he saw before he shut it again was Jessica sitting down at the computer in her room, and putting the disc in to be read.

\------------------

“I’m still pretty impressed by that move.” Eve told Jessica on the steps of the house an hour later. “It was stupid, but impressive.”

Jessica laughed at that. “Thank you for the compliment, Lieutenant.” Then, after a moment of hesitation, she said, “Would you mind terribly if I asked you for a hug?”

Oddly, Eve found she didn’t mind, and embraced Jessica, albeit cautiously. When it was over, Jessica smiled. “Will you come visit me at the club sometime?”

Eve couldn’t help but smile back. “Sure. As long as the screamers are on you.”

“Don’t worry about that, Lieutenant, you’ve got a tab.” Roarke said as Jessica moved to hug him, too. As they embraced he whispered, “Did you find the answers you were looking for?”

Jessica pulled back and gave him a watery smile. “I found answers, yes. Unfortunately, I have just as many questions. But…this is a start anyway. A good start.”

She turned to Eve. “Thanks again, Eve. Please, keep in touch. Ah. There’s my ride.”

One of Roarke’s sleek sports cars pulled up then, and a man looking suspiciously like Summerset hopped out of the drivers side. It looked like Summerset, Eve thought, but surely Summerset would never wear jeans or those funky sunglasses.

“Ready to go, Jessica?” A voice that sounded like Summersets said. 

“I certainly am. Good by again, you two. Don’t be strangers.” 

Then Jessica and the man who looked unnervingly like Summerset both got into the car and sped off leaving Eve’s mouth hanging wide open.

“Was that…?”

“Best not to think about it any further, Lieutenant.” Roarke smiled as he grabbed her hand and led her back into the house. “Think of it more as you and I having a whole day alone here together.”


End file.
